Molecular Cloning of Bovine FABGL Gene and Its Effects on Bovine Bioeconomic Traits

The complete CDS sequence of the bovine FABGL gene was determined by homology cloning approach combined with RT-PCR and 3′- and 5′-RACE. The results of sequence analysis and bioinformatics study showed that this cDNA contained 994 nucleotides, with a 780 bp open reading frame (ORF) flanked by a 16 bp 5′-UTR (incompletely) and a 198 bp 3′-UTR. The deduced amino acid sequence (260 AA) shows 88% identity with the corresponding sequence in humans. Two single nucleotide substitutions, one located in intron 5 (I5) at position 1 065 bp (Y = C/T) (GenBank: DQ409814) and the other in intron 8 (I8) at position 1 792 bp (R = A/G), were detected using the PCR-SSCP method. Analysis of the allele frequencies of the two polymorphic sites in three different cattle breeds (Angus, Hereford, and Simmental) with different genotypes showed large differences: in locus I8, cattle with the GG genotype showed higher beef performance index (BPI) (4.283 ± 0.475 kg/cm) in comparison with cattle with the AA genotype (4.008 ± 0.465 kg/cm) (P = 0.01). Regarding the ribeye area, cattle with the GG genotype showed significantly higher ribeye area (73.380 ± 13.005 cm²) compared with cattle with the AA genotype (67.744 ± 12.777 cm²) (p = 0.05). In locus I5, some associations for the average daily gain (ADG) were found at the significance level of 0.01 between three different genotypes (CC, CT, TT): cattle with the TT genotype showed the highest ADG (0.652 ± 0.330 kg/d), whereas cattle with the CC genotype showed the lowest ADG value (0.421 ± 0.178 kg/d).