Analysis of differential expression of ACTL8 gene in Qinghai Plateau yaks and its association with growth traits

ZHAO Hongjie; MA Shike; SUN Wu; MA Yuhong; XUE Bin; HUANG Weihua; JIN Xiayang

doi:10.13557/j.cnki.issn1002-2813.2025.21.017

Abstract：This experiment aimed to investigate the genetic polymorphism and tissue expression characteristics of the actin-like protein 8(ACTL8)gene and its association with growth traits in Qinghai Plateau yaks.Using healthy adult yaks as subjects,key regions of the ACTL8 gene were captured via Fast Target sequencing technology,and single nucleotide polymorphism(SNP)loci were screened through high-throughput sequencing for population genetic analysis.The gene expression profile in multiple tissues(including heart,liver,spleen,lung,kidney,muscle and pericardial fat,intermuscular fat,subcutaneous fat,perirenal fat,and intestinal fat)was detected by quantitative real-time PCR(RT-qPCR).Furthermore,the correlation between SNP loci and growth traits such as body weight,body height,body length,and chest circumference was analyzed.The results revealed eight SNP loci in the ACTL8 gene.Tissue expression analysis showed that ACTL8 was the most highly expressed in the liver and subcutaneous fat,with the lowest expression in the kidney.Association analysis indicated that the g.77598 G＞A locus was significantly correlated with multiple growth traits.The individuals with GG and AA genotypes had significantly higher body height than those with the GA genotype(P＜0.05),and their weight and chest circumference were extremely better than those of the GA genotype individuals(P＜0.01).The study demonstrates that the ACTL8 gene exhibits rich genetic diversity in Qinghai Plateau yaks and is highly expressed in key metabolic tissues such as the liver and fat.The key locus g.77598 G＞A is highly associated with body height,body weight,and chest circumference,suggesting its potential as a molecular marker for regulating growth efficiency in yaks.