Copy Number Variations in the and Genes Are Associated with Ashidan Yak Growth Traits.
Modian Liu, Chun Huang, Rongfeng Dai, Wenwen Ren, Xinyi Li, Xiaoyun Wu, Xiaoming Ma, Min Chu, Pengjia Bao, Xian Guo, Jie Pei, Lin Xiong, Ping Yan, Chunnian Liang
Author Information
Modian Liu: Key Laboratory of Yak Breeding Engineering Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, China.
Chun Huang: Key Laboratory of Yak Breeding Engineering Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, China.
Rongfeng Dai: Key Laboratory of Yak Breeding Engineering Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, China.
Wenwen Ren: Key Laboratory of Yak Breeding Engineering Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, China.
Xinyi Li: Key Laboratory of Yak Breeding Engineering Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, China.
Xiaoyun Wu: Key Laboratory of Yak Breeding Engineering Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, China.
Xiaoming Ma: Key Laboratory of Yak Breeding Engineering Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, China.
Min Chu: Key Laboratory of Yak Breeding Engineering Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, China.
Pengjia Bao: Key Laboratory of Yak Breeding Engineering Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, China. ORCID
Xian Guo: Key Laboratory of Yak Breeding Engineering Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, China. ORCID
Jie Pei: Key Laboratory of Yak Breeding Engineering Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, China. ORCID
Lin Xiong: Key Laboratory of Yak Breeding Engineering Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, China.
Ping Yan: Key Laboratory of Yak Breeding Engineering Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, China.
Chunnian Liang: Key Laboratory of Yak Breeding Engineering Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, China.
Copy number variations (CNVs) are a result of genomic rearrangement affecting DNA regions over 1 kb in length, and can include inversions, translocations, deletions, and duplications. The molecule interacting with CasL-like protein 2 (MICALL2) gene is primarily associated with mitochondrial protein targeting and exhibits predicted stress fiber colocalization. The monoacylglycerol O-acyltransferase 2 (MOGAT2) gene encodes an enzyme responsible for catalyzing diacylglycerol synthesis from 2-monoacylglycerol and fatty acyl-CoA. For this study, blood samples were obtained from 315 yaks, and the body weight, body length, withers height, and chest girth of these animals were measured at 6, 12, 18, and 30 months of age. Genomic DNA was harvested from the collected blood samples, and CNVs in these samples were detected by qPCR. The resultant data were compared using ANOVAs, revealing significant associations between MICALL2 gene CNVs and body weight at 6 months of age (p < 0.05), body length and chest girth at 30 months of age (p < 0.05), and withers height at 18 months of age (p < 0.01) in Ashidan yaks. Similarly, MOGAT2 CNVs were significantly associated with body weight at 6 and 30 months of age (p < 0.05), and with withers height at 18 months of age (p < 0.01) in these Ashidan yaks. MICALL2 and MOGAT2 gene expression was further analyzed in yak tissue samples, revealing that MICALL2 was most highly expressed in the adipose tissue, whereas MOGAT2 was most highly expressed in the lung. These results thus confirmed the relationship between CNVs in the MICALL2 and MOGAT2 genes and Ashidan yak growth traits, providing a valuable gene locus that can be leveraged for future marker-assisted yak breeding efforts.
