Free Access
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 Williams

Roslin 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