Identification of functional variants of the type SNP, indels and isoforms of alte...
| Grant number: | 10/05650-5 |
| Support type: | Regular Research Grants |
| Duration: | June 01, 2010 - May 31, 2011 |
| Field of knowledge: | Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry |
| Principal Investigator: | Heidge Fukumasu |
| Grantee: | Heidge Fukumasu |
| Home Institution: | Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos (FZEA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Pirassununga , SP, Brazil |
| Assoc. researchers: | Flávio Vieira Meirelles ; José Bento Sterman Ferraz ; Paulo Roberto Leme ; Rodrigo da Costa Gomes ; Saulo da Luz e Silva |
Abstract
In the last years, the focus of animal nutrition research shifted from epidemiology and physiology to Molecular Biology and Genetics. This occurred because it is impossible to understand the effects of nutrients in health and disease without a profound comprehension of how the gene-nutrient (or vice-versa) interacts from the molecular point of view. There are several molecular pathways regulated by specific transcriptional factors that mediated these above mentioned interactions by up or down-regulating gene expression of numerous genes which possess specific promoter regions. One interesting transcriptional factor is the Constitutive Androstane Receptor (CAR, NR1i3), recently been demonstrated as a central regulator of energetic metabolism, decreasing gluconeogenesis and lipogenesis. Recently, it was demonstrated that CAR is an anti-obesity nuclear receptor that improves insulin sensitivity. Then, it could be speculated that genetic variation in the DNA sequence of CAR gene may be responsible for characteristics of economical relevance in beef cattle, specially feed efficiency. Then, the aim of this research project will be evaluate the presence of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in the whole extension of the CAR gene in Nellore cattle regarding feed efficiency. To achieve this, blood will be collected from 50 male animals previously evaluated regarding their feed efficiency. DNA will be extracted and the entire sequence of the CAR gene will be amplified by the Polymerase chain reaction with 8 different primer pairs (to cover all the gene sequence of CAR). Then, these PCR products will be sequenced and aligned to find possible new SNPs. If novel SNPs were found, they will be characterized in silico for their possible changes in the structure of CAR protein. At last, the SNPs will be statistically correlated to some phenotypic characteristics referent to feed efficiency. (AU)