Molecular Markers Found to Influence Meat Quality in Nelore Cattle

By André Julião

Researchers at São Paulo State University (UNESP) in Brazil have identified a robust set of genetic markers associated with meat quality in the Nelore cattle breed (Bos taurus indicus) genome. The results pave the way for substantial progress in the genetic enhancement of the Zebu breed, which accounts for about 80% of the Brazilian beef herd.

The research has direct implications for the productivity and quality of Brazilian beef, reinforcing the country's standing as a major beef exporter. The results are published in the journal Scientific Reports.

In previous studies, the group had identified genes and proteins by studying meat and carcass characteristics separately using different techniques. For the current study, however, the researchers integrated these techniques and examined multiple characteristics using data from 6,910 young Nelore bulls from four commercial genetic improvement programs.

Because the biological material was collected immediately after slaughter, a comprehensive and detailed assessment of characteristics directly influencing meat quality was possible.

"The group had already made significant progress using different 'omics' [genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics] approaches, but it became increasingly clear that no single technique is sufficient to understand the complexity of the biological systems that control variation in meat and carcass quality," says Gabriela Frezarim, first author of the study. She conducted the study during her Ph.D. at the Faculty of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences (FCAV) at UNESP in Jaboticabal.

"By integrating these omics techniques, we were able to elucidate not only the isolated genes but also the biological networks involved in the variation of certain animal phenotypes," adds the researcher, who was supervised by Lucia Galvão de Albuquerque, a professor at FCAV-UNESP.