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Metabolomics: a pathway for improved understanding of genetic modulation of mammalian growth and tissue deposition
The metabolome comprising low molecular weight components of the body represents the third level of phenotypic expression subsequent to the transcriptome and proteome. Integration of metabolomics into systems biology approaches together with genomic and conventional phenotypic information offers the perspective for a comprehensive understanding of genetic variation of complex traits in livestock. This is exemplarily demonstrated for bovine growth and body composition. Whereas the Gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) had been well known for its relevance regarding onset of puberty, our analyses revealed that the GnRH signaling pathway is presumably also a major determinant of genetic variance of weight gain at puberty. For a genomic locus comprising the NCAPG gene, which is relevant to growth in many mammalian species, the metabolomic analyses suggested modulation of growth and tissue deposition by indirect effects on the nitric oxide pathway via arginine metabolism.
Keywords:
Metabolomics
Systems biology
NCAPG
Growth
Cattle
