Tanscriptomic profile of extreme animals for feed efficiency of Nelore breed

• Grant number: 13/17778-4
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): April 01, 2014
• Effective date (End): September 30, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Genetics and Improvement of Domestic Animals
• Principal researcher: Luciana Correia de Almeida Regitano
• Grantee: Polyana Cristine Tizioto
• Home Institution: Embrapa Pecuária Sudeste. Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (EMBRAPA). Ministério da Agricultura, Pecuária e Abastecimento (Brasil). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 12/23638-8 - Molecular basis of meat quality in Nelore beef cattle, AP.TEM
• Associated scholarship(s): 14/13555-3 - Gene expression profiling in hepatic tissue of Nelore steers with divergent profiles for residual feed intake, BE.EP.PD

Abstract

Brazil is one of the world's leading beef manufacturers and exporters. Among the breeds of beef cattle in the country, the Nelore shows greater relevance because of its remarkable production rates. These rates can be mainly attributed to the adaptability and resilience of this breed in tropical environments. Feed efficiency is an extremely important production trait, however, despite its known moderate heritability, this trait is not being considered in genetic evaluation programs in Brazil, because the measurement is costly and late in animal's life. Selection for more efficient animals may contribute to reductions in pasture area and pollutant production, despite a higher profitability for the producer. In this context, the molecular genetics can contribute to implementation of this trait in breeding programs. Recent developments in molecular genetics, such as platforms for genotyping and genomic sequencing, provide opportunity to identify genes and pathways related to production traits as feed efficiency. This study attempts to identify differentially expressed genes in animals representing extremes for feed efficiency, using RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) to obtain information from genome wide expression profiles in muscle and liver of different phenotypic classes (efficient and inefficient animals). The analysis of two different tissues will provide a data base for future studies aiming to identify isoforms and exploring alternative splicing in liver and muscle tissues. The resulting muscle transcriptome will contribute to enrich the data base of Nelore's muscle transcriptome to be obtained by the thematic project "Molecular basis of meat quality traits in Nelore" (Process 2012/23638-8), contributing to the knowledge of the regulation of biological processes in this tissue. (AU)

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)

TIZIOTO, POLYANA C.; COUTINHO, LUIZ L.; DECKER, JARED E.; SCHNABEL, ROBERT D.; ROSA, KAMILA O.; OLIVEIRA, PRISCILA S. N.; SOUZA, MARCELA M.; MOURAO, GERSON B.; TULLIO, RYMER R.; CHAVES, AMALIA S.; et al. Global liver gene expression differences in Nelore steers with divergent residual feed intake phenotypes. BMC Genomics, v. 16, MAR 25 2015. (14/13555-3, 13/17778-4)

VENERONI-GOUVEIA, G.; TIZIOTO, P. C.; MEIRELLES, S. L. C.; SANTIAGO, A. C.; ALENCAR, M. M.; REGITANO, L. C. A.. Candidate genes for carcass traits in a tropical-adapted Brazilian composite beef breed. Genetics and Molecular Research, v. 14, n. 4, p. 16667-16674, 2015. (06/06237-9, 13/17778-4)

TIZIOTO, POLYANA C.; COUTINHO, LUIZ L.; OLIVEIRA, PRISCILA S. N.; CESAR, ALINE S. M.; DINIZ, WELLISON J. S.; LIMA, ANDRESSA O.; ROCHA, MARINA I.; DECKER, JARED E.; SCHNABEL, ROBERT D.; MOURAO, GERSON B.; et al. Gene expression differences in Longissimus muscle of Nelore steers genetically divergent for residual feed intake. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, v. 6, DEC 22 2016. (14/13555-3, 12/23638-8, 13/17778-4)