Identification of SNPs Associated with Goose Meat Quality Traits Using a Genome-Wide Association Study Approach

Guangliang Gao; Keshan Zhang; Ping Huang; Xianzhi Zhao; Qin Li; Youhui Xie; Chunhui Yin; Jing Li; Zhen Wang; Hang Zhong; Jiajia Xue; Zhuping Chen; Xianwen Wu; Qigui Wang

doi:10.3390/ani13132089

Identification of SNPs Associated with Goose Meat Quality Traits Using a Genome-Wide Association Study Approach

Animals (Basel). 2023 Jun 24;13(13):2089. doi: 10.3390/ani13132089.

Authors

Guangliang Gao^{1

2}, Keshan Zhang^{1

2}, Ping Huang¹, Xianzhi Zhao^{1

2}, Qin Li^{1

2}, Youhui Xie^{1

2}, Chunhui Yin^{1

2}, Jing Li^{1

2}, Zhen Wang^{1

2}, Hang Zhong^{1

2}, Jiajia Xue^{1

2}, Zhuping Chen^{1

2}, Xianwen Wu³, Qigui Wang^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Chongqing Academy of Animal Science, Rongchang District, Chongqing 402460, China.
² Chongqing Engineering Research Center of Goose Genetic Improvement, Rongchang District, Chongqing 402460, China.
³ Department of Laboratory Animal Sciences, Peking University Health Sciences Center, Beijing 100191, China.

Abstract

(1) Background: Goose meat is highly valued for its economic significance and vast market potential due to its desirable qualities, including a rich nutritional profile, tender texture, relatively low-fat content, and high levels of beneficial unsaturated fatty acids. However, there is an urgent need to improve goose breeding by identifying molecular markers associated with meat quality. (2) Methods: We evaluated meat quality traits, such as meat color, shear force (SF), cooking loss rate (CLR), and crude fat content (CFC), in a population of 215 male Sichuan white geese at 70 days of age. A GWAS was performed to identify potential molecular markers associated with goose meat quality. Furthermore, the selected SNPs linked to meat quality traits were genotyped using the MALDI-TOP MS method. (3) Results: A dataset of 2601.19 Gb of WGS data was obtained from 215 individuals, with an average sequencing depth of 10.89×. The GWAS revealed the identification of 43 potentially significant SNP markers associated with meat quality traits in the Sichuan white goose population. Additionally, 28 genes were identified as important candidate genes for meat quality. The gene enrichment analysis indicated a substantial enrichment of genes within a 1Mb vicinity of SNPs in both the protein digestion and absorption pathway and the Glycerolipid metabolism pathway. (4) Conclusion: This study provides valuable insights into the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying goose meat quality traits, offering crucial references for molecular breeding in this field.

Keywords: genome-wide association study; goose; marker-assisted selection; meat traits; single nucleotide polymorphism.

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the Key R&D Project in Agriculture and Animal Husbandry of Rongchang, grant number No. 22534C-23; the Chongqing Scientific Research Institution Performance incentive project, grant number cstc2022jxjl80007; Natural Science Foundation of Chongqing Project, grant number CSTB2022NSCQ-MSX0434; Goose Genetic Breeding Research Innovation Team from Chongqing Talents Program (CQYC20200309103); the earmarked fund for China Agriculture Research System, grant number CARS-42-51.