Country hams are dry-cured products from the Southeastern region of the USA. This high value product requires quality fresh meat to avoid later processing problems. The marker SREBF1 is a transcription factor involved in the regulation of fatty acid synthesis and anti-oxidative enzyme transcription. The SREBF1 gene and its regulators, SCAP and MBTPS1, were investigated for associations with several meat quality traits in country hams. After single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) identification, PCR-RFLP tests were designed for one polymorphism in each of the three investigated genes. Meat quality and physical traits were collected on 299 fresh hams. Significant associations were found with ham yield (MBTPS1, PSREBF1×MBTPS1, PMBTPS1, PSREBF1×MBTPS1, PSREBF1, PMBTPS1, PSREBF1×MBTPS1, PSCAP×MBTPS1, PSREBF1×SCAP, PSREBF1, SCAP and MBTPS1 are associated with some country ham quality traits. Breeders could use these gene tests to improve their animals, which would in turn improve country ham processing and other desired production goals.
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/max-rothschild/185/
This article is published as Renaville, Benedicte, Kimberly L. Glenn, Benny E. Mote, Bin Fan, Kenneth J. Stalder, and Max F. Rothschild. "SREBP pathway genes as candidate markers in country ham production." Italian Journal of Animal Science 9 (2010): e7. doi: 10.4081/ijas.2010.e7. Posted with permission.