A Sequence Polymorphism in MSTN Predicts Sprinting Ability and Racing Stamina in Thoroughbred Horses

Abstract

Variants of the MSTN gene encoding myostatin are associated with muscle hypertrophy phenotypes in a range of mammalian species, most notably cattle, dogs, mice, and humans. Using a sample of registered Thoroughbred horses (n = 148), we have identified a novel MSTN sequence polymorphism that is strongly associated (g.66493737C>T, P = 4.85×10−8) with best race distance among elite racehorses (n = 79). This observation was independently validated (P = 1.91×10−6) in a resampled group of Thoroughbreds (n = 62) and in a cohort of Thoroughbreds (n = 37, P = 0.0047) produced by the same trainer. We observed that C/C horses are suited to fast, short-distance races; C/T horses compete favorably in middle-distance races; and T/T horses have greater stamina. Evaluation of retrospective racecourse performance (n = 142) and stallion progeny performance predict that C/C and C/T horses are more likely to be successful two-year-old racehorses than T/T animals. Here we describe for the first time the identification of a gene variant in Thoroughbred racehorses that is predictive of genetic potential for an athletic phenotype.

Selection for morphology, gaits and functional traits in Lusitano horses: II. Fixed effects, genetic trends and selection in retrospect

“…livsci.2014.03.017i (Vicente et al, 2012). The incorporation of genetic markers in selection of Lusitano is a possibility that should be kept in mind, as it is currently being used in selection of sport horses (Haberland et al, 2012;Hill et al, 2010) but, to our knowledge, genomic associations with morphological and beauty traits have not been studied so far.…”

Brief Review of Equine Genomics: Prospects toward Exercise and Sports Science

“…33 MSTN gene (center of haplotypes found) was sequenced in a cohort with (QHs) and without the whole amount of haplotypes (THB) and authors found an SNP in intron 1 of MSTN only in QHs, which had been previously described as a predictor of sprinting ability in Thoroughbreds. 10 …”

“…Genotypes of two single nucleotides polymorphisms attempted (g.6649373737C>T and g.66494218A>C) were not more common among winning thoroughbreds than nonwinning thoroughbred horses, however the comparison of horses winning short race (<8 furlongs) with horses winning long distance race (>8 f) revealed significant association. 10 The hypothesis that MSTN SNPs are correlated to best race distance in Thoroughbred horses was also raised in a study using a whole genome association approach. One hundred and eighty-nine elite thoroughbred horses (at least one win), were grouped following the optimal racing distance (<7 f, 8-10 f and >10 f), which were then correlated to sequence variation in specific locus of MSTN gene.…”

Myostatin: genetic variants, therapy and gene doping

“…In 2010, a genetic variant was identified for the first time in racehorses, which seems potentially to influence athletic performance (muscle power) (Hill et al, 2010) and there is evidence showing that thoroughbred horses have more muscle mass and present phenotypes related to increased strength in comparison to other horse species. The authors investigated the sequence variation of the MSTN gene, which contains three exons and spans 6,172 bp in chromosome 18 (Hill et al, 2010).…”

“…The authors investigated the sequence variation of the MSTN gene, which contains three exons and spans 6,172 bp in chromosome 18 (Hill et al, 2010). Future functional genomics studies may reveal whether the mutation has a significant impact on MSTN gene expression and this finding may be a first step towards selecting athletes based on genetics and also to boosting performance through genetic manipulation.…”