Yak

Association between single-nucleotide polymorphisms of fatty acid synthase gene and meat quality traits in Datong Yak (Bos grunniens)

M. Chu, Wu, X. Y., Guo, X., Pei, J., Jiao, F., Fang, H. T., Liang, C. N., Ding, X. Z., Bao, P. J., and Yan, P., “Association between single-nucleotide polymorphisms of fatty acid synthase gene and meat quality traits in Datong Yak (Bos grunniens)”, vol. 14, pp. 2617-2625, 2015.

Fatty acid synthase (FASN) is a key enzyme in fatty acid anabolism that plays an important role in the fat deposit of eukaryotic cells. Therefore, in this study, we detected 2 novel single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the FASN gene in 313 adult individuals of Datong yak using polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism and DNA sequencing techniques. SNP g.5477C>T is located in intron 3 of FASN, and 3 genotypes, HH, HG, and GG, were detected in this mutation site.

Association of novel single-nucleotide polymorphisms of the vascular endothelial growth factor-A gene with high-altitude adaptation in yak (Bos grunniens)

X. Y. Wu, Liang, C. N., Ding, X. Z., Guo, X., Bao, P. J., Chu, M., Liu, W. B., and Yan, P., “Association of novel single-nucleotide polymorphisms of the vascular endothelial growth factor-A gene with high-altitude adaptation in yak (Bos grunniens)”, vol. 12, pp. 5506-5515, 2013.

Vascular endothelial growth factor-A gene (VEGF-A) is a key regulator of angiogenesis and an endothelial cell mitogen that plays an important role in high-altitude adaptation. In this study, we detected 2 novel single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of VEGF-A by screening for genetic variation in 700 individuals of 3 domestic Chinese yak breeds - namely Gannan (GN), Datong (DT), and Tianzhu white (TZW) - using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism and DNA sequencing techniques.

Genetic polymorphisms of the IGF-II gene intron 8 coding region and its association with growth and carcass traits in yak

Y. F. Zeng, Ding, X. Z., Cheng, S. R., and Yu, S. J., “Genetic polymorphisms of the IGF-II gene intron 8 coding region and its association with growth and carcass traits in yak”, vol. 12, pp. 6602-6610, 2013.

Insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II) plays a key role in mammalian growth and is involved in stimulating fetal cell division, differentiation, and metabolic regulation. IGF-II is considered a candidate gene for genetic markers of growth and carcass traits. Therefore, in this study, the associations of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the IGF-II gene region with growth and carcass characteristics in five yak breeds were investigated. Two SNPs, G₃₃₀C and A₃₅₈G, were identified by sequencing intron 8 of the IGF-II gene in homozygotes.