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

摘要

Growth differentiation factor 5 (GDF5), involved in the development and maintenance of bone and cartilage, is an important candidate gene for growth and carcass traits selection through marker-assisted selection (MAS). Genomic structural analysis showed that bovine?GDF5?shares much similarity with humanGDF5. 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.