Doubled-Muscled Cattle Breeds

Doubled-Muscled Cattle

• Some breeds of cattle, such as Piedmontese, Parthenais, and Belgian Blue, have a deficiency in the myostatin gene, leading to increased muscle mass and higher yields of meat for cattle farmers.
• The key benefits of inactivated myostatin in cattle include tender beef with reduced collagen content and lower saturated fat levels.

Improving Dairy Milk Quality & Volume

• Analysis of animal databases has identified around 344 quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with milk traits, which can be used as genetic markers to predict milk volume and quality.
• Four key genes associated with milk production and quality are:
  • PRL (prolactin): associated with milk production performance
  • LEP (leptin): associated with better milk yield, energy balance, and fertility
  • DGAT1 (diacylglycerol O-acyltransferase 1): associated with milk yield and composition
  • ABCG2 (ATP-binding cassette, subfamily G, member 2): associated with milk yield and composition
• Marker-assisted selection can be used to breed animals that produce higher volumes of milk, improving on-farm productivity and enhancing traditional mechanisms for identifying elite animals.
• Researchers are also working to identify valuable micro-components in milk (proteins, carbohydrates, peptides, and lipids) and the genes associated with them, which could lead to the development of health-promoting products.

Genetically Modified Cows

• Researchers have used cloning technology to introduce human genes into the DNA of Holstein dairy cows, producing high-protein milk for the cheese industry.
• The genetically modified cows produce milk with:
  • Up to 20% more β-casein
  • Twice the amount of κ-casein compared to conventional cows
• This modification allows cheese-makers to produce more cheese from the same volume of milk.
• Transgenic cows have also been developed to produce milk with an inactive β-lactoglobulin milk protein, resulting in hypoallergenic milk.

Improving Productivity & Proficiency in the Sheep Industry

• Breeding programs are being developed to investigate the inheritance of worm resistance, with the long-term goal of breeding sheep that are resistant to worms.
• Researchers are working to identify the gene responsible for black and badgerface patterns as well as random spotting on Merino sheep.
• Marker-assisted breeding is being used to bring fine wool genes into meat Merinos.

Protection against Diseases

• Genetically modified vaccines have been developed to protect cattle from Bovine herpes virus (BoHV-1) and Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV).
• A recombinant vaccine, TickGARD, has been developed to protect against anaplasmosis, a disease transmitted by cattle ticks.
• A GM vaccine, PneumoStar, has been produced in Canada to combat shipping fever, a complex form of pneumonia in cattle.

Fruits and Vegetables

• Tomatoes with extended shelf-life and delayed fruit softening have been developed using genetic modification.
• Yellow crookneck squash with resistance to watermelon mosaic virus 2 (WMV2) and zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV) has been developed.
• Potatoes with less bruising and fewer black spots, enhanced cold-storage capacity, and a lower amount of a potentially carcinogenic chemical have been developed.
• Genetic engineering is being used to develop potatoes with more starch and less water, which could lead to healthier french fries or potato chips.
• Researchers are working to develop more nutritious fruits and vegetables through a process called biofortification, which involves improving the nutritional quality of food crops through agronomic practices, conventional plant breeding, or modern biotechnology.