title: A single nucleotide polymorphism in NEUROD1 is associated with production traits in Nelore beef cattle.
abstract: Feed efficiency and carcass characteristics are late-measured traits. The detection of molecular markers associated with them can help breeding programs to select animals early in life, and to predict breeding values with high accuracy. The objective of this study was to identify polymorphisms in the functional and positional candidate gene NEUROD1 (neurogenic differentiation 1), and investigate their associations with production traits in reference families of Nelore cattle. A total of 585 steers were used, from 34 sires chosen to represent the variability of this breed. By sequencing 14 animals with extreme residual feed intake (RFI) values, seven single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in NEUROD1 were identified. The investigation of marker effects on the target traits RFI, backfat thickness (BFT), ribeye area (REA), average body weight (ABW), and metabolic body weight (MBW) was performed with a mixed model using the restricted maximum likelihood method. SNP1062, which changes cytosine for guanine, had no significant association with RFI or REA. However, we found an additive effect on ABW (P ≤ 0.05) and MBW (P ≤ 0.05), with an estimated allele substitution effect of -1.59 and -0.93 kg0.75, respectively. A dominant effect of this SNP for BFT was also found (P ≤ 0.010). Our results are the first that identify NEUROD1 as a candidate that affects BFT, ABW, and MBW. Once confirmed, the inclusion of this SNP in dense panels may improve the accuracy of genomic selection for these traits in Nelore beef cattle as this SNP is not currently represented on SNP chips.
authors.affiliation: Embrapa Pecuária Sudeste, São Carlos, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: P S N
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Embrapa Pecuária Sudeste, São Carlos, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Tizioto
authors.affiliation: Embrapa Pecuária Sudeste, São Carlos, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Malago
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: do Nascimento
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: A S M
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Cesar
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Genética e Evolução, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, São Carlos, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: W J S
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Diniz
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Genética e Evolução, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, São Carlos, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: de Souza
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: D P D
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Lanna
authors.affiliation: Embrapa Pecuária Sudeste, São Carlos, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Tullio
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Mourão
authors.affiliation: Embrapa Pecuária Sudeste, São Carlos, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: de A Mudadu
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: L L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Coutinho
authors.affiliation: Embrapa Pecuária Sudeste, São Carlos, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: L C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: de A Regitano
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D001835:Body Weight / Q000235:genetics; D001947:Breeding; D002417:Cattle / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development*; D005838:Genotype; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D040641:Quantitative Trait Loci / Q000235:genetics; D000069466:Red Meat; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; C093564:Neurogenic differentiation factor 1