Molecular characterization, polymorphism of growth differentiation factor 5 gene and association with ultrasound measurement traits in native Chinese cattle breeds

Abstract

Growth differentiation factor 5 (GDF5), involved in the development and maintenance of bone andcartilage, is a n important candidate gene for growth and carcass traits selection through markerassisted selection (MAS). Genomic structural analysis showed that bovine GDF5 shares much similarity with human GDF5. The latest findings demonstrate that the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) T586C in exon 1 is significantly associated with ultrasound marbling score (UMAR) and ultrasound backfat thickness (UBF). Furthermore, the analysis of T586C SNP marker shows there are significant effects on the UBF (P = 0.0498) and on the UMAR (P = 0.0058) in 465 individuals. These results clearly suggest that the GDF5 gene is among target genes for carcass traits in bovine reproduction and breeding.

Keywords: Cattle, GDF5 gene, ultrasound measurement, polymorphism, association analysis

African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 9(33), pp. 5269-5273, 16 August, 2010