The UQCRC1 Promoter Polymorphisms with High Expression Activity Increase Muscle Lipid Accumulation & Subcutaneous Fat Depth

Significant improvements in animal performance, efficiency and carcass and meat quality have been made over the years through the application of standard animal breeding and selection techniques. However, such classical animal breeding techniques require several years of genetic evaluation of performance records on individual animals and their relatives and are therefore very expensive. Other efforts have been made to improve productivity and quality through the application of such management practices as the use of feed additives, animal hormonal implants and chemotherapeutics. However, there is significant political and regulatory resistance to the introduction and use of such methodologies. Such methodologies are also non-inheritable and need to be applied differently in every production system.

 

A method for identifying a bovine animal having a thinner subcutaneous fat depth (SFD), a lower skeletal muscle lipid accumulation (SMLA), a lower estimated stearoyl-CoA desaturase 16:1/16:0×100% value (R2), a lower estimated stearoyl-CoA desaturase 18:1/18:0×100% value (R3), a lower amount of beef fat monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), or a combination thereof.