Identification of polymorphisms in PLIN2 gene associated with intramuscular fat deposition

• Grant number: 16/26030-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2017
• End date: March 31, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Genetics and Improvement of Domestic Animals
• Principal Investigator: Aline Silva Mello Cesar
• Grantee: Heloísa Defant
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The amount of intramuscular fat (IMF) affects sensory characteristics and nutritional value of the beef. Many consumers associate IMF with coronary diseases, diabetes, and obesity, due to the presence of cholesterol, the high concentration of saturated and low concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids present in beef. However, the consumption of fatty acids present in the composition of intramuscular fat is necessary for human nutrition. Genetic variations in genes involved in the muscle lipid deposition may represent important markers in marker-assisted selection programs, which may interfere with phenotypic characteristics such as intramuscular fat deposition (IMF). The main biological processes involved with IMF are adipogenesis (preadipocyte differentiation in adipocytes) and lipogenesis (fat synthesis), controlled by different genes. Some genes are acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase (ACC), adiponectin (adipoQ) and perilipin 2 (PLIN2). Due to the important role of the PLIN2 gene in the uptake of long-chain fatty acids and the formation and stabilization of lipid droplets in different tissues including muscle tissue, the objective of this project is validation of identified polymorphisms in PLIN2 gene from previous studies of RNA-seq and eQTL, by next generation sequencing of the genomic DNA of Nellore steers. It is expected with this study to be able to identify new molecular markers associated with intramuscular fat deposition, as well as indicate them as the marker-assisted selection programs for a meat quality. (AU)