Exploring polymorphisms and associations of the bovine MOGAT3 gene with growth traits

Monoacylglycerol acyltransferase (MGAT3, also known as MOGAT3) catalyzes the synthesis of diacylglycerol (DAG) using 2-monoacylglycerol and fatty acyl coenzyme A. This enzymatic reaction is believed to be an essential and rate-limiting step for the absorption of dietary fat in the small intestine. However, similar research for the bovine MOGAT3 gene is lacking. Therefore, in this paper, polymorphisms of the bovine MOGAT3 gene were detected in 1145 individuals from five cattle breeds by DNA pooling, PCR-RFLP, and DNA sequencing methods. The results showed that 26 novel SNPs were identified, which included 16 mutations in the coding region and the others in the introns. Additionally, association analysis between two missense mutations, g.A229G and g.G1627A, and growth traits in Nanyang cattle up to 2 years of age and adult Qinchuan cattle was performed. The results indicated that polymorphisms were significantly associated with Nanyang cattle, but no convincing associations were observed for Qinchuan cattle for the studied traits.