Integrative genetic and regulatory network analysis to detect genes associated with muscle iron content and beef quality related phenotypes in Nelore

Abstract

Beef is a source of nutrients, mainly bioavailable iron. Iron (Fe) is essential to health because it plays an important role in many biological processes and imbalance in Fe homeostasis has been related to metabolic diseases. Despite genomic advances, knowledge about the genetic architecture underpinning the mineral content homeostasis in cattle muscle is still incipient. Muscle Fe content is a complex trait resulting from the coordinated interaction of many genes. Moreover, SNPs in regulatory elements and miRNAs may alter gene expression and contribute to phenotypic variation in the population. Given the background, systems genetic approaches based on genomic and transcriptomic data integration have been fruitful to identify regulatory genetic loci related to complex phenotypes. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the genetic mechanisms involved in the regulation of Fe content in the Nelore steers Longissimus dorsi muscle and its relationship with beef quality traits, integrating genomic (SNPs), transcriptomics (mRNAs and miRNAs) and phenotypic data. Gene co-expression and epistatic interaction networks will be constructed adopting WGCNA and WISH approaches. The results obtained will contribute to understanding the SNPs-miRNA-mRNA interaction, the muscle Fe homeostasis and its relationship with beef quality traits, as well as raise more information that could help to develop higher nutritional value beef. (AU)