Organic compounds -- part of the class 532-570 series – Organic compounds – Carbohydrates or derivatives
Patent
1998-10-02
2000-11-07
Myers, Carla J.
Organic compounds -- part of the class 532-570 series
Organic compounds
Carbohydrates or derivatives
536 231, 536 235, 536 2433, 435 6, 435 912, C07H 2104, C07H 2102, C12Q 168, C12P 1934
Patent
active
061438804
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
PRIORITY CLAIM
This application is the national phase of international application PCT/NL96/00497, filed Dec. 20, 1996.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates to the field of molecular biology as well as to the field of breeding methods for farm animals, in particular pigs. In particular the invention relates to the use of diagnostic methods derived from the field of molecular biology in breeding programmes that select animals on production traits that improve their breeding value.
BACKGROUND
By selecting animals on their breeding value calculated mainly from phenotypic measurements of production traits, breeding has greatly improved the genotype for production traits of livestock animals. Thus, traditionally, breeding programmes have selected for phenotypic characteristics of animals. However, more recently selection for genotypic characteristics that are associated with improved production traits have gained interest in the field. Selection for phenotypic characteristics entails mainly selection of the offspring or siblings or other relatives of the animals to be selected whereas selection of specific genotypic characteristics allows for earlier and specific detection of animals of interest.
Within methods that select on specific genotypic characteristics, one may distinguish between methods that detect genetic variation in genes or quantitative trait loci that are merely associated with production traits of animals and methods that detect genetic variation in functional genes that directly influence those production traits. One of the former methods is a marker assisted selection wherein polymorphisms in markers identified in a random manner are associated with production traits.
For instance, meat production is closely linked to embryonic muscle formation. Biologically, production is concentrated in defined tissues of the animal, e.g. muscle tissue for lean meat production. In breeding programmes for optimizing porcine lean meat production, various levels of selection pressure have been applied to different tissues (i.e. muscle, fat and bone).
Muscles are complex tissues composed of a number of different cell types, e.g. myocytes (the most predominant) consisting of myofibres and satellite cells, intramuscular adipocytes, fibroblasts, endothelial cells, neurocytes, etc. Handel and Stickland (1984, 1988) showed that the number of myofibres present at birth determines the maximal lean meat growth capacity of pigs. Double-muscled cattle show a higher number of prenatally developed myofibres than other cattle (Swatland and Kiefer 1974; Hanset et al., 1982), which suggests that lean meat production capacity is determined by the embryonic development of myocyte number.
Myogenesis is a complex, multistep process that chronologically involves: in the early embryo. expression and organization of specific gene products active only in terminally differentiated muscle cells. myofibres in various myofibre types in response to age and physiological cues (Edgerton and Roy, 1991; Funk et al., 1991; Gunning and Hardeman, 1991; Olson, 1992).
A model based on the action of the MyoD gene-family describes a mechanism for the genetic regulation of myogenesis. There are four members of this family in vertebrates, MyoD (also called Myf-3), myogenin (Myf-4), Myf-5 and MRF4 (Myf-6, herculin). A number of recent reviews summarizes in detail the existing knowledge of the structure of the genes, the MyoD-myogenesis model and the activation of muscle tissue-specific genes by the MyoD genes (for reviews see above).
MyoD proteins are expressed specifically in muscle tissue where they act as tissue-specific transcription factors. In vitro they are active after formation of dimer complexes with proteins of the ubiquitously expressed E2A gene. The complex binds to specific transcription regulatory sequences of muscle-specific genes called enhancer regions in the promoters, thereby activating expression of the tissue- and developmental stage-specific genes like muscle-specific actin, tropomyosin and titin (reviewed in Olson, 1990;
REFERENCES:
Briley, G.P. et al. Animal Biotechnology 6(2):79-92, Dec. 1995.
Te Pas M.F.W. et al. J. Anim. Breed. Genet. 111:404-412, 1994.
GenEmbl Accession No. U14331, Dec. 1994.
Ahern, H. The Scientist 9(15):20, Jul. 1995.
Soumillion Ann Elisabeth
te Pas Marinus Frederik
Beheermaatschappij Varkensverbetering Zuid B.V.
Britt Trask
Cofok B.V.
ID-DLO
Johannsen Diana
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