Genome-wide association study identifies the PLAG1-OXR1 region on BTA14 for carcass meat yield in cattle

Carcass meat yield is an important carcass trait that contributes to the production efficiency and economic benefits in beef cattle. It is therefore critical to identify quantitative trait loci associated with carcass traits to enable selection. Our previous studies have identified several causal variants within the pleomorphic adenoma gene 1 ( PLAG1) and coiled-coil-helix-coiled-coil-helix domain-containing 7 ( CHCHD7) genes on BTA14 for carcass traits in Chinese Simmental. In the current study, we carried out a genome-wide association study for carcass meat yield in 472 Wagyu cattle with Bovine HD SNP array. Our results showed that 27 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified for tenderloin weight (TDW), striploin weight (SPW), chuck roll weight (CRW), bicep weight (BPW), knuckle weight (KCW), and flank steak weight (FSW) in Wagyu cattle. Of these SNPs, 10 distinct SNPs were detected within the oxidation resistance 1 ( OXR1), fatty acid binding protein 5 ( FABP5), TNF receptor superfamily member 11b ( TNFRSF11B), and zinc finger CCCH-type containing 3 ( ZC3H3) genes on BTA14. Notably, three significant SNPs, BovineHD1400016738, BovineHD1400016743, and BovineHD1400016665 within OXR1, were shown strong linkage disequilibrium (r 2 > 0.8) and significantly associated with CRW ( P = 1.37 × 10 −8 ~ 1.94 × 10 −8 ). Moreover, Ingenuity Pathway Analysis showed that OXR1, FABP5, and CAP1A genes were involved in a single network and FABP5 may regulate the expression of OXR1 gene via node gene, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma ( PPARG). Overall, this study suggests that OXR1 and FABP5 are candidate genes affecting carcass traits in Wagyu and the PLAG1-OXR1 region on BTA14 as a putative susceptibility locus for carcass meat yield for both Chinese Simmental and Wagyu.