FOR 753: Genetic-Functional Regulation of the Waterholding Capacity of Pig Meat

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The water holding capacity (WHC) of pig meat is a complex quantitative trait and a crucial technological quality parameter indicating proper meat development after slaughter. Due to drip loss, high weight wastages occur in carcasses or cuts. WHC is influenced from the genotype, the muscle structure and metabolism, the environment (growth, feeding), the pre-slaughter handling of the animals and by the pre- and post mortal conditions of carcass and meat treatment. The Research Unit focusses on structural and functional identification of genome regions or genes, which influence drip loss in pork meat. Further, we want to get more insight into the physiological/pathophysiological mechanisms leading to the variation in WHC. We use structural genomic (fine mapping of DRIP-QTL on chromosome 5 and 18) and functional genomic (proteom and transcriptome profiles of phenotypically - drip loss, Ca 2+ and energy metabolism, muscle fiber traits - and genotypically - QTL and eQTL for drip loss - divergent muscles) approaches to identify and verify candidate genes. All the investigations are done in the musculus longissimus dorsi of a phenotypically fully characterised Duroc-Pietrain resource family, which has been genome scanned on more than 100 markers. With these phenotypically/functional (drip loss, calcium and energy metabolism) and genotypically (QTL drip loss) different samples, proteom (holistic and differential) and transcriptomstudies (global and regional specific microarrays, eQTL identification) are performed to identify trait associated candidate proteins and gene. These genes are further characterised by structural and functional analyses. All obtained data are implemented into a XML-based database system and centrally processed using up to date bioinformatic knowledge. Our programme with partners from muscle biology, meat science, biochemistry, animal breeding and bioinformatics enables a focussed interdisciplinary approach of functional genetic analyses to unravel the genetic functional basis of the water holding capacity of pig meat. This basic knowledge will add significantly to improve meat quality by breeding strategies.