Genetic variant of <i>SPARC</i> gene and its association with growth traits in Chinese cattle

• Main Authors: D. Zhang, J. Xu, P. Yang, Y. Wen, H. He, J. Li, J. Liang, Y. Zheng, Z. Zhang, X. Wang, X. Yu, E. Wang, C. Lei, H. Chen, Y. Huang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Copernicus Publications 2020-01-01
• Series: Archives Animal Breeding
• Online Access: https://www.arch-anim-breed.net/63/31/2020/aab-63-31-2020.pdf

<p>SPARC is a cysteine-rich acidic secreted protein. It is a non-collagen component of bone, which is widely distributed in humans and animals and plays an important role. SPARC has been found in a variety of human cancers (breast cancer, stomach cancer, ovarian cancer, etc.) and diabetes-related research. Especially the muscle and fat metabolism are closely related. In this study, we used a DNA pool to detect a new SNP site (g.12454T&thinsp;<span class="inline-formula">&gt;</span>&thinsp;C). A total of 616 samples of four breeds of Qinchuan cattle (QC, <span class="inline-formula"><i>n</i>=176</span>), Xianan cattle (XN, <span class="inline-formula"><i>n</i>=160</span>), Pinan cattle (PN, <span class="inline-formula"><i>n</i>=136</span>) and Jiaxian cattle (JX, <span class="inline-formula"><i>n</i>=144</span>) were analyzed and identified with ARMS-PCR. In addition, we correlated SNP with growth traits and showed significant correlation with growth traits such as rump length, hip width, and body length (<span class="inline-formula"><i>p</i>&lt;0.05</span>). Moreover, we tested the <i>SPARC</i> gene expression level in different tissues belonging to XN adult cattle (<span class="inline-formula"><i>n</i>=3</span>) and found its high expression in muscle tissues (relative to the kidney). Further, we found the SNP is able to increase the <i>SPARC</i> expression level in skeletal muscle (<span class="inline-formula"><i>n</i>=12</span>). According to statistical data, this SNP site may be applied to a molecular marker of an early marker-assisted selection for early growth of beef cattle.</p>