Differential expression of genes related with meat tenderness in Nelore cattle

• Grant number: 12/23934-6
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Effective date (Start): April 01, 2013
• Effective date (End): November 30, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry
• Principal Investigator: Luiz Lehmann Coutinho
• Grantee: Tassia Mangetti Gonçalves
• Home Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 13/26121-9 - Integrative analysis of differential gene expression to elucidate molecular mechanisms that control meat tenderness in Nellore cattle, BE.EP.MS

Abstract

Beef quality in Brazil is important for both consumers and the food industry due to high demand and competitiveness of the domestic and international markets. Therefore, it is necessary to develop research to improve beef quality of Nelore cattle (Bos indicus), mainly tenderness, which is considered one of the main features to add value to meat. New-generation technologies provide accurate, rapid and inexpensive information on the entire genome, showing great advantage over conventional methods for sequencing and gene expression. However, these new technologies generate large database, which requires the use of bioinformatics tools for data analysis of sequencing and for a better understanding of biological mechanisms of regulation, cellular control, gene interactions, among other applications. In a previous study, we collected samples of Longissimus dorsi of 790 Nelore and we assessed the shear force 24 hours after slaughter, with 7 and 14 days of maturation. Aiming to identify differentially expressed genes, we selected 34 animals with extreme levels of meat tenderness of Nelore, which are being sequenced by the method of RNA-seq (Illumina HiScanSQ). This study will perform the processing of data generated by RNA-seq using bioinformatics tools. For that purpose, we will use the software programs Bowtie, TopHat, and Cufflinks package. The statistical analysis will be performed at environment R. After the analysis of differential expression, five genes that are significant for meat tenderness will be validate by RT-PCR quantitative.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

GONCALVES, TASSIA MANGETTI; DE ALMEIDA REGITANO, LUCIANA CORREIA; KOLTES, JAMES E.; MELLO CESAR, ALINE SILVA; DA SILVA ANDRADE, SONIA CRISTINA; MOURAO, GERSON BARRETO; GASPARIN, GUSTAVO; MONTEIRO MOREIRA, GABRIEL COSTA; FRITZ-WATERS, ELYN; REECY, JAMES M.; COUTINHO, LUIZ LEHMANN. Gene Co-expression Analysis Indicates Potential Pathways and Regulators of Beef Tenderness in Nellore Cattle. FRONTIERS IN GENETICS, v. 9, OCT 5 2018. Web of Science Citations: 4.

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

GONÇALVES, Tassia Mangetti. Differential expression of genes related with meat tenderness in Nellore cattle. 2015. Master's Dissertation - Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz Piracicaba.