Myostatin gene

[knabe]

Good to hear Thermal Energy is clean.

geothermal is clean too!

 

[Goldenview]

For the last 4 or 5 years I have just been sitting back and enjoying the show but now I cannot sit back and watch. I have a couple of questions that I can't find answers for.  I recently had a bull test positive for nt419 and I cannot find sufficient info on this specific variant and the information that I do find is pretty vague. If myostatin reduces fat cover and increases lean meet yield then why did this particular bull scan 0.58 fat thickness, 2.65 IMF, 0.51 rump fat and lean meat yield of 56.5 at 11 months old? Shouldn't he of had less fat and more lean meat yield? That's why I am wondering if all variants exhibit the same characteristics or are they slightly different? Also, I think I'm going to have to agree with Turning Grass Into Beef and (I never thought I would say this) Xbar on this one. I calf out close to 400 cows a year and I have only ever has 2 double muscled calves with the Belgian Blue butt. One was from a Shorty x Shorty and the other was a Simangus x Charolais. I do however get quite a few calves that have quite a bit of muscle. I have kept a lot of the females and so far I haven't had any problems.  I guess until I am faced with an all out wreck the myostatin status of a bull is not a high priority on my list. I as well view most things from a commercial standpoint and  pounds and muscle pay. I'm  willing to sacrifice the odd unmarketable calf if myo calves net me a higher return at the auction mart.

 

[aj]

nt419 is in various breeds as I understand it. And not known to have originated in any breed?

 

[knabe]

This is what double muscling looks like.

 

[knabe]

https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186/1297-9686-35-1-103.pdf

 

[RyanChandler]

https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186/1297-9686-35-1-103.pdf

Given the minimal frequency in which it’s expressed,  do you feel the cost, time, and labor being spent on this topic is warranted ?

 

[knabe]

Depends if it was an animal I wanted a lot of offspring out of.

The other way to look at it is 28 people die in hospitals every day from misdiagnosis, mistakes etc but no one is screaming for to ban hospitals

I don’t understand the lack of outrage.

So in short, it depends.

I guess at some level one could say the same thing about every post on steer planet.

 

[Okotoks]

I guess it depends on one's tolerance for dystocia. Our neighbor had a wreck with it last year with $1500 worth of vet bills and two dead calves. His current bull is myostatin free. Is this topic relevant to him?
I used two heifer bulls one was a 84 lb BW and one was 72 lb. As long as they were mated to none carriers life was good but I had c sections out of both of them from from carrier heifers that had affected calves. I sell bulls into the commercial market, if they are tested free I know my bull customers cannot have affected calves so it it is relevant to me.
I AI'd a couple of free cows to a carrier bull this year, I will test the calves. I have some carrier cows, I test their calves, knowledge of their status allows me to make breeding decisions.

 

[Dale]

https://csa.digitalbeef.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=_miscellaneous&file=genetic_conditions

More myostatin will be found as U.S. breeders increasingly test for DM.  Surely Canadians do not like to waste money, and they test as a service to their customers.  It is a North American problem, and there are already dozens of E226X carriers found in Canada, including some with genetics from south of the border. 

 

[aj]

Thanks Dale......worth clicking on.

 

[knabe]

improver 3rd and jpj . interesting

 

[RyanChandler]

I guess it depends on one's tolerance for dystocia. Our neighbor had a wreck with it last year with $1500 worth of vet bills and two dead calves. His current bull is myostatin free. Is this topic relevant to him?
I used two heifer bulls one was a 84 lb BW and one was 72 lb. As long as they were mated to none carriers life was good but I had c sections out of both of them from from carrier heifers that had affected calves. I sell bulls into the commercial market, if they are tested free I know my bull customers cannot have affected calves so it it is relevant to me.
I AI'd a couple of free cows to a carrier bull this year, I will test the calves. I have some carrier cows, I test their calves, knowledge of their status allows me to make breeding decisions.

I’m confused as to why your experiences are so different from those of Saskvalley and Muridale, both of whom have posted that out of several hundred calves they’ve had two homozygotes? 

 

[mark tenenbaum]

I guess it depends on one's tolerance for dystocia. Our neighbor had a wreck with it last year with $1500 worth of vet bills and two dead calves. His current bull is myostatin free. Is this topic relevant to him?
I used two heifer bulls one was a 84 lb BW and one was 72 lb. As long as they were mated to none carriers life was good but I had c sections out of both of them from from carrier heifers that had affected calves. I sell bulls into the commercial market, if they are tested free I know my bull customers cannot have affected calves so it it is relevant to me.
I AI'd a couple of free cows to a carrier bull this year, I will test the calves. I have some carrier cows, I test their calves, knowledge of their status allows me to make breeding decisions.

/// JMO You are right on target-Its NOT as much about hiding your head in the sand and eliminating really good cattle you may have worked many years to achieve as to keeping things manageable-Just like the other defects-Breed a dirty one clean and dont lose the phenotype it took so long to produce etc-Just dont breed a carrier to the wrong carrier-and if you have enough of them the numbers will work in your favor- Clean ones will appear where they otherwise would not have had a chance O0

 

[Okotoks]

I guess it depends on one's tolerance for dystocia. Our neighbor had a wreck with it last year with $1500 worth of vet bills and two dead calves. His current bull is myostatin free. Is this topic relevant to him?
I used two heifer bulls one was a 84 lb BW and one was 72 lb. As long as they were mated to none carriers life was good but I had c sections out of both of them from from carrier heifers that had affected calves. I sell bulls into the commercial market, if they are tested free I know my bull customers cannot have affected calves so it it is relevant to me.
I AI'd a couple of free cows to a carrier bull this year, I will test the calves. I have some carrier cows, I test their calves, knowledge of their status allows me to make breeding decisions.

I’m confused as to why your experiences are so different from those of Saskvalley and Muridale, both of whom have posted that out of several hundred calves they’ve had two homozygotes?

I think it's because I introduced the myostatin to my herd a dozen years earlier and then brought it back in. The fact the test became available will probably prevent a lot of doubling up and a lot of grief. A breeder can use a myostatin carrier now and follow with a clean bull and not run into any trouble if he keeps track

 

[aj]

Are you sure you are on the right column Knabe. Somehow I got the DS column first.

 

[knabe]

Says carrier on both.


And double stuff too, so now he’s quadruple stuff.


And improver himself.


I always wondered if some of these alleles in homo state added any thickness.


No way to know without crisper probably.

 

[aj]

I couldn't find that JPJ was a 226 carrier.

 

[Dale]

Homeplace Hot Commodity 1625 is myostatin free of all three mutations.  The test results came back today.  It is on digitalbeef, if you want to look it up.

 

[Okotoks]

Attached are the DNA results for Mandalong Super Flag showing him free of myostatin variants. Another animal to remove from the speculation list!

 

[aj]

Interesting. Thanks