The myostatin (MSTN) gene is a negative regulator of animal muscle growth and development. This gene not only inhibits muscle cell growth and reduces fat accumulation but also exerts a significant effect on back fat thickness, birth weight and carcass traits. MSTN gene mutation, an important factor that influences economic traits, directly affects the growth and development of animals and consequently the quality of animal products. This paper reviews the structural and functional characteristics of the MSTN gene. The genetic variation of the MSTN gene is then compared among four domestic animals (cattle, sheep, goat and pig) and its correlation with important economic traits is analysed. The mechanism and structural characteristics of MSTN gene mutants are further discussed. This paper provides explication on the application of MSTN gene research in breeding and its importance to the advancement of animal husbandry.

Intersex traits are serious reproductive disorders in goats, and the intersexual goat can influence development of goat husbandry. In goats, the PIS (polled intersex syndrome) mutation is responsible for both the absence of horns and sex reversal, exclusively affecting XX individuals. PIS is caused by a large deletion of goat chromosome 1q43 that affects the transcription of the genes PISRT1 and FOXL2. Here, we aim to contribute to the discussion on the pathology and molecular genetics of goats’ intersex based on the characteristics of morphology.

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Goats are economically important animals in the world, and their sex is an important factor in their economic efficiency. Reconstruction of a goat SRY gene expression vector can lay a foundation for studying the immunogenicity and sex determination of SRY protein at the molecular level. In this study, the coding region of the goat SRY gene was used as the target gene fragment for synthesis and optimization, and the cloning vector was used as a template to amplify the target gene and finally ligated to the expression vector pET-SUMO. The recombinant plasmid was then verified by the double restriction enzyme method and transformed into Escherichia coli (DE3). After the induction of expression by Isopropyl â-D-Thiogalactoside (IPTG), the cells were lysed, and SDS-PAGE electrophoresis was performed to observe the expression of the recombinant protein. Additionally, the immunological activity of the recombinant protein was assessed. The target gene was successfully ligated into the prokaryotic expression vector pET-28a; additionally, the prokaryotic expression plasmid pET-SUMO was successfully constructed, and the SRY antigen protein (42 kDa) was expressed. The titer of the rabbit antiserum (PAI-1608012-1) was more than 1:50000, as measured by ELISA, which demonstrated that the titer and the sensitivity of the rabbit serum reached the expected levels. In this study, the prokaryotic expression vector pET-SUMO was successfully constructed. The recombinant protein has high immunopotency and immunoreactivity, which lays a foundation for the preparation of antibodies and the molecular sexing of goats in the future.

Background: Heat stress in domestic animals has become a major limit factor for livestock production in tropical and subtropical regions. These traits that adapt to torrid environment are important in livestock breeding.Methods: In this study, we identified and genotyped six Single nucleotide polymorphism for the CDC37, AHSA1 and STIP1 gene in the Droughtmaster, Angus and Simmental cattle breeds using the SNaPshot Multiplex system. Result: Result of pair-wise differences (FST) revealed three SNP locus (CDC37-6 (A16154247/G), CDC37-7 (C16157867/G), AHSA1-10 (G89722567/A) were significantly different in the Droughtmaster population than Angus and Simmental cattle breeds. Moreover, it was found that CDC37-7 (C16157867/G) locus deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, suggesting that the CDC37-7 (C16157867/G) genes have been influenced by the selective breeding of the Droughtmaster breed. Therefore, CDC37-7 (C16157867/G) locus could be used as a marker-assisted candidate gene locus of heat tolerance. This study provides valuable information, concerning marker-assisted selection in the breeding of heat stress resistant cattle.