Study of the genes under selection in Nelore and the relation with Bos indicus and Bos taurus based on transcriptomic data

• Grant number: 17/05625-0
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): June 01, 2017
• Effective date (End): December 31, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Sónia Cristina da Silva Andrade
• Grantee: Thainá Cortez Silva
• Home Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 12/23638-8 - Molecular basis of meat quality in Nelore beef cattle, AP.TEM

Abstract

Meat production systems have been using genetic studies results to develop and estimate the most appropriate selection methods for the improvement of meat. Some herds, due to domestication, undergo intense phenotypic selection, resulting in major changes in specific genomic regions over few generations. Thus, to verify the efficiency of the selection process, it is necessary to study the development of herds, evaluating the traits of interest that are under direct selection. None or few evolution biology studies have been performed on Nelore - the domesticated cattle breed, responsible for 70% of the zebu cattle registered in Brazil. Thus, using data from a transcriptome previously obtained for the Project "Molecular bases of meat quality in Nelore cattle" (process 2012/23638-8), an evolutionary genetic approach will be used to evaluate the relationship of Nelore with its parental species and the identification of possible genes under selection. The results will be used to identify genes under selection that might have a role in meat quality metabolic processes. (AU)