純種馬的主人如今有了一個(gè)新的工具,，從而能夠預(yù)測(cè)他們的賽馬在跑道上的表現(xiàn)。上周五,，在基爾代爾郡舉行的愛(ài)爾蘭純種馬飼養(yǎng)者協(xié)會(huì)博覽會(huì)上,，一家名為Equinome的新公司啟動(dòng)了一項(xiàng)要價(jià)1000歐元的脫氧核糖核酸(DNA)測(cè)試——旨在對(duì)源自馬基因組計(jì)劃的一種肌肉因子進(jìn)行鑒定。
肌肉的生長(zhǎng)受到肌肉生長(zhǎng)抑制素的調(diào)控,，后者是一種蛋白質(zhì),，能夠決定動(dòng)物是生長(zhǎng)適合快速奔跑的強(qiáng)健肌肉，還是長(zhǎng)出具有出色耐力的消瘦體態(tài),。Equinome公司的共同創(chuàng)始人,、都柏林大學(xué)學(xué)院的遺傳學(xué)家Emmeline Hill和同事于1月份在《科學(xué)公共圖書(shū)館—綜合》上報(bào)告說(shuō)，攜帶了肌肉生長(zhǎng)抑制素C突變的兩個(gè)基因拷貝的馬匹更有可能在長(zhǎng)度為6.5弗隆(約合1.3公里)的短跑中獲勝,，而攜帶了兩個(gè)T突變的馬匹則在長(zhǎng)度為13.5弗隆的比賽中表現(xiàn)更佳,。
馬基因組計(jì)劃協(xié)調(diào)人、美國(guó)萊克星頓市肯塔基大學(xué)的Ernest Bailey強(qiáng)調(diào),，馬主已經(jīng)采用基因測(cè)試來(lái)鑒定馬匹的父子關(guān)系,、毛皮色澤以及疾病，然而性能預(yù)測(cè)則還是一塊新的領(lǐng)地,。Hill指出,，飼養(yǎng)者曾為了了解馬匹的脾氣而咨詢過(guò)基因的問(wèn)題。她說(shuō),，這在目前還難以實(shí)現(xiàn),，但是“我們正在研究基因與其他特征之間的關(guān)系，例如有氧代謝能力”,。（生物谷Bioon.com）
Science：馬基因組測(cè)序發(fā)現(xiàn)新染色體著絲點(diǎn)
生物谷推薦原始出處：
PLoS ONE 5(1): e8645. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0008645
A Sequence Polymorphism in MSTN Predicts Sprinting Ability and Racing Stamina in Thoroughbred Horses
Emmeline W. Hill1*, Jingjing Gu1, Suzanne S. Eivers1, Rita G. Fonseca1, Beatrice A. McGivney1, Preethi Govindarajan1, Nick Orr1¤, Lisa M. Katz1, David MacHugh1,2
1 Animal Genomics Laboratory, School of Agriculture, Food Science and Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland, 2 Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Variants of the MSTN gene encoding myostatin are associated with muscle hypertrophy phenotypes in a range of mammalian species, most notably cattle, dogs, mice, and humans. Using a sample of registered Thoroughbred horses (n = 148), we have identified a novel MSTN sequence polymorphism that is strongly associated (g.66493737C>T, P = 4.85×10?8) with best race distance among elite racehorses (n = 79). This observation was independently validated (P = 1.91×10?6) in a resampled group of Thoroughbreds (n = 62) and in a cohort of Thoroughbreds (n = 37, P = 0.0047) produced by the same trainer. We observed that C/C horses are suited to fast, short-distance races; C/T horses compete favorably in middle-distance races; and T/T horses have greater stamina. Evaluation of retrospective racecourse performance (n = 142) and stallion progeny performance predict that C/C and C/T horses are more likely to be successful two-year-old racehorses than T/T animals. Here we describe for the first time the identification of a gene variant in Thoroughbred racehorses that is predictive of genetic potential for an athletic phenotype.
