Genetic variability of FABP4 c.328 G>A (rs110652478) polymorphism and its association with slaughter weight and carcass traits in Aberdeen Angus and Hereford bulls imported into Turkey

Abstract

The study aimed to determine the genotypic distribution of the c.328 G>A (rs110652478) polymorphism in the bovine fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4) gene and to determine its effect on slaughter weight in Aberdeen Angus and Hereford bulls imported into Turkey. A total of randomly selected 95 bulls were used in this study. Bulls were housed for fattening in semi-open pens for approximately nine months with the same management procedures. Genotyping of the FABP4 c.328 G>A (rs110652478) polymorphism, located in exon 3, was performed by the PCR-RFLP method. Allele and genotype frequencies were calculated by the standard procedures and the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was tested by comparing expected and observed genotype frequencies using chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests. Indices of genetic diversity were calculated based on the allelic frequencies. The least-squares method as applied in a GLM procedure was used to test the association between FABP4 c.328 G>A and phenotypic traits including slaughter weight, hot and cold carcass weight, chilling loss, dressing percentage, and carcass pH. Results revealed that the most frequent genotype was GG (49.18% and 52.94% for Angus and Herefords, respectively) and the minor allele frequency (A allele) was 0.32 in the total population. The genotype distribution was in agreement with Hardy Weinberg equilibrium (P>0.05). The moderately low levels of genetic variability observed in this study may be caused as a result of eventual inbreeding. PIC levels suggest that FABP4 c.328 G>A can be a mildly informative genetic marker for the tested population. Association analysis indicated that the effect of the FABP4 on slaughter weight was statistically significant (P<0.05) in the total population. However, this association was not substantiated in breed-specific analyzes. There was no significant effect of the marker on any remaining phenotypic traits. Consequently, it is important to emphasize that analysis of FABP4 c.328 G>A may provide valuable, but limited, information on imported beef cattle raised in Turkey conditions.

Keywords

• Beef cattle
• FABP4
• single nucleotide polymorphism
• marker-assisted selection

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