Transcriptomic profile of semitendinosus muscle of bulls of different breed and performance

The aim of the study was to compare the transcriptomic profiles of fully differentiated skeletal muscle derived from bulls belonging to different breeds of varying performance. Microarray analyses were performed to determine the differences in the expression profiles of genes between semitendinosus muscles of 15-month-old beef-breed bulls (Limousin-LIM and Hereford-HER) and dairy-breed bulls (Holstein Friesian-HF). These analyses allowed for the identification of those genes the expression of which is similar and characteristic of fully differentiated muscle in beef breeds, but differs in skeletal muscle of a typical dairy breed. The analysis revealed 463 transcripts showing similar expression in the semitendinosus muscle of beef breeds (LIM/HER), in comparison with the dairy breed (HF). Among the identified genes, 227 were upregulated and 236 were downregulated in beef breeds. The ontological analyses revealed that the largest group of genes similarly expressed in LIM and HER was involved in the processes of protein metabolism and development of muscle organ. In beef breeds, some genes involved in protein synthesis and proteolysis showed an upregulation, including ctsd, ctsf, fhl2, fhl3, fst, sirt1, and trim63, whereas some were downregulated, including bmpr1a, bmpr2, mstn, smad2, hspa8, gsk3β, and tgfβ2. The expression of the chosen genes was confirmed by RT-qPCR technique. Thus, it can be assumed that the identified genes involved in the regulation of growth and development of muscle tissue and the processes of protein metabolism in the examined cattle breeds may be responsible for the greater gain of muscle mass in beef-breed bulls.