Genetic variant of SPARC gene and its association with growth traits in Chinese cattle

SPARC is a cysteine-rich acidic secreted protein. It is a non-collagen component of bone, which is widely distributed in humans and animals and plays an important role. SPARC has been found in a variety of human cancers (breast cancer, stomach cancer, ovarian cancer, etc.) and diabetes-related research. Especially the muscle and fat metabolism are closely related. In this study, we used a DNA pool to detect a new SNP site (g.12454T > C). A total of 616 samples of four breeds of Qinchuan cattle (QC, n = 176), Xianan cattle (XN, n = 160), Pinan cattle (PN, n = 136) and Jiaxian cattle (JX, n = 144) were analyzed and identified with ARMSPCR. In addition, we correlated SNP with growth traits and showed significant correlation with growth traits such as rump length, hip width, and body length (p < 0.05). Moreover, we tested the SPARC gene expression level in different tissues belonging to XN adult cattle (n = 3) and found its high expression in muscle tissues (relative to the kidney). Further, we found the SNP is able to increase the SPARC expression level in skeletal muscle (n = 12). According to statistical data, this SNP site may be applied to a molecular marker of an early marker-assisted selection for early growth of beef cattle.