Association of Variants in CDC10 (Septin 7) Gene with Growth-Related Traits in Qinchuan Cattle

As one of the five major indigenous yellow cattle breeds in China, Qinchuan cattle are characterized by stable genetic performance and desirable meat quality. However, compared with imported commercial breeds, Qinchuan cattle have a relatively slow growth rate. Therefore, improving the growth rate of Qinchuan cattle has become a top priority in Qinchuan cattle breeding. The <i>CDC10</i> (<i>Septin 7</i>) gene, an important member of the Septin family, participates in various cellular physiological processes including intracellular substance transport, cell division, cell cycle regulation, and apoptosis. Studies have repeatedly mapped the <i>CDC10</i> gene to quantitative trait loci influencing growth-related traits, such as body weight and carcass weight in many beef cattle breeds. Previous study has also demonstrated the high expression of <i>CDC10</i> in JB cattle with high performance for carcass weight, however, the association between <i>CDC10</i> and growth-related traits in Qinchuan cattle remain unclear. Therefore, in this study, we selected five individuals each from Chinese Simmental, Mongolian cattle, Luxi cattle, and Qinchuan cattle for direct sequencing, aiming to identify mutations within the <i>CDC10</i> gene of native Chinese yellow cattle. Subsequently, we performed genotyping of 367 Qinchuan cattle using the MassARRAY technology, followed by genetic diversity analysis of the identified mutations and association analysis between these sites and growth-related traits of Qinchuan cattle. This study demonstrated high expression of the <i>CDC10</i> gene in Qinchuan cattle with high performance for carcass weight. Furthermore, we identified the g.61303052G>C and c.225A>G SNPs in the promoter and exon regions, respectively, as being significantly associated with multiple growth-related traits in Qinchuan cattle. The c.225A>G SNP was also found to alter the secondary structure of the CDC10 protein. These findings provide reliable molecular markers for enhancing the growth rate of Qinchuan cattle and establish a solid theoretical foundation for the development of the beef cattle industry.