Microarray Analysis on the Differences of Gene Expression in Longissimus Dorsi Muscle Tissue between 1-month and 24-month Chinese Red Steppes

In order to establish the correlation between biological processes and the mechanisms of gene expression controlling beef traits formation in bovine, microarray analysis was performed to capture the differences in gene expression related to beef traits profile in Longissimus Dorsi muscle tissue between 1-month and 24-month Chinese Red Steppes. 1282 (5.6%) probes showed significant differences at the two stages in the experiment, and 1008 differential gene annotations were obtained using Capitalbio molecule annotation system. BLAST analysis revealed that 1001(78.1%) probe genes shared significant similarity in amino acid sequence with other functional genes (As of June 2009). 126 genes showing strong correlation with beef traits were gained by the GO analysis. With the KEGG analysis, 63 pathways were found to be related to beef traits which involved 73 genes. 28 genes were found in a single pathway, while 35 genes were found in 2-16 pathways respectively. The panels of transcripts and gene pathways analysis in different growth stages may be helpful for the study on beef traits formation, and the gene expression profile construction in Longissimus Dorsi muscle tissues, would make a foundation for screening candidate genes which have genetic effect on meat quality in bovine.

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