Effect of STARD3 gene polymorphism on carcass traits and fatty acid composition in Japanese Black cattle

Abstract

In this study, we focused on the STARD3 gene which is involved in cholesterol distribution and homeostasis in cells, and investigated the effects of the STARD3 gene polymorphism on carcass traits and fatty acid composition. We searched for polymorphisms in the STARD3 gene by whole-genome resequencing and selected a missense S396L from 280 detected polymorphisms. We genotyped S396L polymorphism for Japanese Black cattle population (n = 441) and then analyzed the effects on carcass traits and fatty acid composition. As a result, the polymorphism showed strong association with fatty acid composition (C14:0, C16:0, C18:1, SFA and MUFA) (p<0.0001). Although further research is warranted to clarify whether S396L directly impacts fatty acid composition, it is obvious that there is a novel QTL for fatty acid composition on BTA19 in the Japanese Black cattle. In conclusion, these results contribute to the identification of a novel causative mutation on BTA19 for fatty acid composition and development of a useful DNA marker for improving the beef quality of Japanese Black cattle.