Objective
The objective of the present proposal is to detect the different mutations of the myostatin gene (member of the TGF,beta super-family) causing muscular hypertrophy in European beef cattle breeds and their frequencies for its further application in MAS (Marker Assisted Selection) schemes.
In the last two years, major efforts have been made to genetic map the mh gene underlying muscular hypertrophy in cattle (Charlier et al., Mammalian Genome 6: 788792, 1995). These efforts finally lead to the description of the gene causing a generalized muscular hypertrophy when mutated in at least two European breeds: the Belgian Blue Cattle Breed (BBB) and the Spanish Asturiana de los Valles (Grobet et al., Nature Genetics 17: 71-74, Sept.1997). The gene involved in this production trait is the bovine MSTN, which encodes myostatin, a member of the TGF,B superfamily. This knowledge opens the way toward the exploitation of these results in more efficient MAS schemes. Different mutations (at least five mutations have been described (Grobet et al., submitted) seem to be implicated in disrupting the myostatin gene as for example Maine-Anjou breed shows a different haplotype than the defined in Asturiana and BBB.
We propose to verify what mutations defined are responsible of the double-muscling phenotype in different beef cattle breeds where this phenotype has been described and the frequencies of each haplotypes in the following populations or sire lines: Asturiana de los Valles (ES), Asturiana de las Montanas (ES), Pirenaica (ES), Rubia Gallega (ES), Maine-Anjou (FR), Gasconne (FR), Bazadaise (FR), Parthenaise (FR), Type culard Charolais (FR), Inra95 (FR), Blanc Bleu Belge mixte (BE). The knowledge acquired on the possible cause of the muscular hypertrophy has lightened a special interest in different European beef cattle breeds, as the appearance of the mutated gene can be modulated in different ways. Animal breeders have moreover the possibility now to use the increased information that can be given by the individual screening for MSTN mutations of the reproductive animals in such way that the farmers can manage their breed or their own herd, and to certify the presence or absence of the gene mutations for the breeding animals commercialized or exported. Screening of the different mutations affecting individuals of the beef cattle populations is possible by multiple PCR. Five primers pairs are to be used in order to screen all disrupting mutations described up to now (Grobet et al., submitted). The setting of a faster technique not involving all five PCR will be of great help to further screen the populations and will be developed.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
- agricultural sciencesagricultural biotechnologymarker assisted selection
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesgeneticsmutation
- agricultural sciencesanimal and dairy sciencedomestic animalsanimal husbandry
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesgeneticsgenomes
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Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
CSC - Cost-sharing contractsCoordinator
28040 MADRID
Spain