Rebecca Emnett*, Steven
Moeller1*, Keith Irvin*, Max
Rothschild#, Graham Plastow**, and Rodney
Goodwinx
*The Ohio State University Department of Animal Sciences
#Iowa State University Department of Animal Science
**PIC International Group
xNational Pork Producers Council
Abstract
Consumers and many sectors of the pork industry are demanding improvements in meat quality. This provides a new challenge for the breeding industry, which is seeking advanced genetic tools that can be practically incorporated into selection schemes for trait improvement. The objective of this study was to investigate the genetic influences of two meat quality candidate genes heart fatty acid binding protein (HFABP) and calpastatin (CAST), which could have possible effects on meat quality and performance in the pig. Interesting associations were found between the markers studied and various quality and performance characteristics unique for each genetic marker. The HFABP total population analysis revealed effects on ultimate loin pH and quality. The CAST genotypes were different for backfat measurements and loin muscle area. Results of this study indicate that there is great potential for the improvement of meat quality traits through the use of genetic markers in swine.
Introduction
The heightened interest in meat (muscle) quality has led to investigations into the physiological and genetic controls of these economically important traits. Often studies in livestock are modeled after known rodent or human genetic markers associated with diseases, which may also be related to body composition or changes in energy metabolism. Genetic markers characterized in other species serve as guides or "candidate" genes for investigation of the phenotypic differences found in swine.
Although several genetic markers and quantitative trait loci (QTL) affecting meat quality and performance traits have been detected in the pig (for review see Rothschild and Plastow, 1999), the quest continues to identify markers that explain significant variation in these traits of economic importance. As more information becomes available in swine molecular genetics, there exists a need to analyze associations between these markers and phenotypes in individual genetic lines or populations. The objective of this study was to determine the association between variation found in performance, carcass, and meat quality traits and two candidate genes of interest in different pig populations.