Issue |
Genet. Sel. Evol.
Volume 34, Number 2, March-April 2002
|
|
---|---|---|
Page(s) | 221 - 232 | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/gse:2002005 |
Genet. Sel. Evol. 34 (2002) 221-232
DOI: 10.1051/gse:2002005
Muscle-related traits in cattle: The role of the myostatin gene in the South Devon breed
Pamela Wiener, Judith Alexis Smith, Alyson Margaret Lewis, John Arthur Woolliams and John Lewis WilliamsRoslin Institute, Roslin, Midlothian, EH25 9PS, UK
(Received 22 February 2001; accepted 19 October 2001)
Abstract
In this paper, we examined the effects of an 11-bp mutation within the
GDF-8 gene, originally identified in Belgian Blue cattle, in
the South Devon breed. The mutation was found at moderate frequency
(0.37) in the South Devon population. We quantified the effects of
this mutation on growth, body composition and calving traits in South
Devon cattle. We found that the mutation significantly increased
muscle score and calving difficulty and decreased fat depth. The
mutation did not significantly affect weight at 200 and 400 days or
muscle depth. Its effect on muscle score and fat depth was additive
while its effect on calving difficulty was recessive. The mutation
accounted for a significant proportion of the phenotypic variance in
muscle score and calving difficulty. There was an economic benefit of
the mutation for this data set, however, calculations were sensitive
to changes in the parameter values. Additional data would be required
to refine these calculations.
Key words: GDF-8 / myostatin / South Devon cattle / double muscling / muscle hypertrophy
Correspondence and reprints: Pamela Wiener
e-mail: Pam.Wiener@bbsrc.ac.uk
© INRA, EDP Sciences 2002