Indices of cellular development in muscles of lambs are influenced by sire estimated breeding values and pastoral nutritional system
P. L. Greenwood A C , G. E. Gardner B and R. S. Hegarty AAustralian Sheep Industry Cooperative Research Centre, Armidale, NSW 2350, Australia.
A NSW Agriculture Beef Industry Centre of Excellence, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia.
B School of Rural Science and Natural Resources, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia; Present address: School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: paul.greenwood@dpi.nsw.gov.au
Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 57(6) 651-659 https://doi.org/10.1071/AR05205
Submitted: 9 June 2005 Accepted: 11 October 2005 Published: 20 June 2006
Abstract
This study examined influences of sire (n = 9) estimated breeding values (EBVs), sire-group (Muscle, Growth, and Control), and nutrition (low and high quality and availability pasture) from birth to slaughter at ~8 months of age on indices of muscle cellularity and transcriptional and translational capacity in 56 castrate lambs. Effects of nutritional systems to 8 months of age were greater, overall, than those due to EBVs or sire-group. Amount of DNA increased with increasing EBV for post-weaning eye muscle depth (PEMD or Muscle EBV) in longissimus but not in semimembranosus and semitendinosus muscles, while Muscle EBV also had an inverse association with concentration of DNA. Protein to DNA and RNA to DNA were related positively to Muscle EBV, the associations being strongest for the semitendinosus muscle. Post-weaning weight (PWWT or Growth) EBV correlated positively with the RNA to DNA ratio and, among high but not low nutrition lambs, was inversely related to concentration of muscle DNA, whereas post-weaning fat depth (PFAT or Fat) EBV was correlated positively with RNA concentration. Overall, the magnitude of effects of sire-group was less than for sire EBVs, presumably due to differing selection pressures for muscling, fatness, and growth. High nutrition lambs had more protein to DNA than low nutrition lambs in the longissimus and semitendinosus muscles, but not in the semimembranosus muscle. In low compared with high nutrition lambs, concentration of DNA was greater in the longissimus and semitendinosus muscles. Total amount of DNA was reduced by more in low compared with high nutrition in the longissimus and semimembranosus than in the semitendinosus, and amount of protein was reduced by more in low compared with high nutrition in the longissimus than in the other two muscles. We conclude that genetic selection for eye muscle depth in sheep has differing effects on cellular characteristics of the longissimus, semimembranosus, and semitendinosus muscles, and has greater effects on muscle cellular characteristics than genetic selection for post-weaning weight or fat depth.
Additional keywords: sheep, meat, genotype, cellularity, cell size, transcription, translation.
Acknowledgments
We wish to thank the technical support of Stuart McClelland, Joe Brunner, Bill Johns, Steve Sinclair, Reg Woodgate, and Kim Quinn in the conduct of animal and abattoir procedures, and Drs David Hopkins and Terry Farrell who coordinated abattoir data and sample collection. The additional contribution of Joe Brunner who performed the laboratory analyses is also gratefully acknowledged.
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