| It has been reported that bovine chromosome 14 (BTA14) is rich in quantitative trait loci (QTL) that are responsible for many economically important traits in cattle. Therefore, the goal of this project was to comparatively annotate the chromosome based on its current genome assembly and explore new potential candidate genes underlying beef carcass, meat quality and eating quality using a Wagyu x Limousin F2 population. First, we reviewed all reported QTL studies previously conducted on BTA14, standardized the QTL locations and linked the QTL to functional gene regions. We believe that such an anchored QTL map would further improve our ability to understand the genetic complexity of economically important traits located on BTA14 in both dairy and beef cattle. Second, we developed a sequence-based comparative map of BTA14 using human chromosome 8 (HSA8) as an anchor to increase the efficiency and accuracy of identifying and characterizing promising positional candidate genes. Last, we performed a chromosome wide analysis using two different methods, a single gene association with multiple comparison tests and an interval mapping, to target candidate genes on BTA14 responsible for these economically important traits in cattle. Our study provided a unique set of genetic markers for genomic improvement of carcass, meat quality and healthier products in beef cattle. Such a breeding program based on a marker assisted selection has the potential for a more accurate and rapid animal improvement by predicting genetic merits based on genotypes and using genomic information to design precision breeding systems. More importantly, our work offers new opportunities and tools to develop precision management programs for optimizing meat products based on an animal's genotype, thus leading to consumers' satisfaction for their diet and health. |
