title: Single nucleotide polymorphisms of myostatin gene in Chinese domestic horses.
abstract: The myostatin gene (MSTN) is a genetic determinant of skeletal muscle growth. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in MSTN are of importance due to their strong associations with horse racing performances. In this study, we screened the SNPs in MSTN gene in 514 horses from 15 Chinese horse breeds. Six SNPs (g.26T>C, g.156T>C, g.587A>G, g.598C>T, g.1485C>T, g.2115A>G) in MSTN gene were detected by sequencing and genotyped using PCR-RFLP method. The g.587A>G and g.598C>T residing in the 5'UTR region were novel SNPs identified by this study. The g.2115A>G which have previously been associated with racing performances were present in Chinese horse breeds, providing valuable genetic information for evaluating the potential racing performances in Chinese domestic breeds. The six SNPs together defined thirteen haplotypes, demonstrating abundant haplotype diversities in Chinese horses. Most of the haplotypes were shared among different breeds with no haplotype restricted to a specific region or a single horse breed. AMOVA analysis indicated that most of the genetic variance was attributable to differences among individuals without any significant contribution by the four geographical groups. This study will provide fundamental and instrumental genetic information for evaluating the potential racing performances of Chinese horse breeds.
authors.affiliation: Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Agriculture, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China.
authors.forename: Ran
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Institute of Hexi Ecology and Oasis Agriculture, Hexi University, Zhangye, Gansu 734000, China.
authors.forename: Dong-Hua
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Bureau of Yining, Yili, Xinjiang 835100, China.
authors.forename: Chun-Na
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Agriculture, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China.
authors.forename: Shao-Qiang
authors.initials: SQ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Agriculture, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China.
authors.forename: Rui-Hua
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Dang
authors.affiliation: Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Agriculture, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China.
authors.forename: Xian-Yong
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Lan
authors.affiliation: Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Agriculture, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China.
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Shaanxi University of Technology, Hanzhong, Shaanxi 723001, China.
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830052, China.
authors.forename: Wu-Jun
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Agriculture, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China. Electronic address: leichuzhao1118@126.com.
authors.forename: Chu-Zhao
authors.initials: CZ
authors.lastname: Lei
mesh_terms: D020121:5' Untranslated Regions; D000818:Animals; D017849:Animals, Inbred Strains; D002681:China; D006736:Horses / Q000235:genetics*; D055435:Myostatin / Q000235:genetics*; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
chemical_list: D020121:5' Untranslated Regions; D055435:Myostatin
keywords: Chinese horse; Genetic diversity; MSTN; SNP