In this section:
Muscle & Adipose Tissue Development
Over the past 100 years, selection of meat-producing animals with superior genetics has led to the development of livestock breeds with fast growth rates and the ability to produce high yielding carcases that are lean and tender. Recent evidence has shown that the overall muscle mass and fat composition of meat-producing livestock, such as sheep and cattle, is determined by complex genetic and environmental interactions during the embryonic, foetal and postnatal periods of development.
To better understand how the nutritional environment during pregnancy and throughout postnatal growth impacts on the development of skeletal muscle and adipose tissues, we are using real-time PCR to examine the expression profile of a suite of genes with important functions in the growth and cellular development of these tissues. Our research in sheep (Poll Dorset x Merino) and cattle (Piedmontese x Hereford and Waygu x Hereford) is focussed on genes that are positive or negative regulators of cell growth, tissue-specific transcription factors and structural proteins. The aim of our research is to characterise gene expression in different muscle types at various stages of development to ascertain whether and to what extent geneotypic and environmental factors control the expression of these genes and their associated gene networks. To date, our research has identified genes that are differentially regulated by nutrition and we have also shown that the mRNA levels of some genes differ within and between breeds. In future, we intend to use our findings to help increase muscle mass and improve carcase composition in sheep and cattle.
Contacts
Dr Greg Nattrass
Research Scientist
