Muscle development and lipid accumulation in muscle critically affect meat quality of livestock. However, the genetic factors underlying myofiber-type specification and intramuscular fat (IMF) accumulation remain to be elucidated. Using two independent intercrosses between Western commercial breeds and Korean native pigs (KNPs) and a joint linkage-linkage disequilibrium analysis, we identified a 488.1-kb region on porcine chromosome 12 that affects both reddish meat color (a*) and IMF. In this critical region, only the MYH3 gene, encoding myosin heavy chain 3, was found to be preferentially overexpressed in the skeletal muscle of KNPs. Subsequently, MYH3-transgenic mice demonstrated that this gene controls both myofiber-type specification and adipogenesis in skeletal muscle. We discovered a structural variant in the promotor/regulatory region of MYH3 for which Q allele carriers exhibited significantly higher values of a* and IMF than q allele carriers. Furthermore, chromatin immunoprecipitation and cotransfection assays showed that the structural variant in the 5′-flanking region of MYH3 abrogated the binding of the myogenic regulatory factors (MYF5, MYOD, MYOG, and MRF4). The allele distribution of MYH3 among pig populations worldwide indicated that the MYH3 Q allele is of Asian origin and likely predates domestication. In conclusion, we identified a functional regulatory sequence variant in porcine MYH3 that provides novel insights into the genetic basis of the regulation of myofiber type ratios and associated changes in IMF in pigs. The MYH3 variant can play an important role in improving pork quality in current breeding programs. Local native livestock breeds, such as pigs and cattle, are important reservoirs of genetic variation, because they have adapted to local conditions and have not been as strongly selected as commercial livestock breeds. Therefore, the study of local native breeds is of utmost interest to identify causative mutations for traits in which large differences exist between local native breeds and breeds used internationally for meat production. Herein, we apply these principles to meat quality related traits in pigs. A combined linkage-linkage disequilibrium analysis identified the MYH3 gene on pig chromosome 12, which encodes myosin heavy chain 3 protein. Subsequently, we discovered a regulatory mutation in MYH3, which occurs at high frequency in Korean Native Pigs compared to the frequency at which it occurs in Western pig breeds. We confirmed the effect of MYH3 on muscle fiber-type composition and intramuscular fat content using transgenic mice and transfection assays in porcine fibroblast cells. This is the first causal mutation identified in livestock for these traits and the result is immediately applicable for the genetic improvement of pork quality. These results also enhance our understanding of the genetic basis regarding the regulation of myofiber type ratios and associated changes in intramuscular fat contents in pigs and mammals in general.

Food Science of Animal Resources (Food Sci. Anim. Resour.) is an international, peer-reviewed bimonthly journal publishing original research and reviews on basic and applied aspects of the use of animal resources including the meat, egg, dairy, and edible insect/worm products. Food Sci. Anim. Resour. is published and distributed by the Korean Society for Food Science of Animal Resources.

Jeju black cattle are known as one of Korea's traditional cattle. However, Hanwoo is more well-known to Korean meat consumers as representative beef cattle. Despite the popularity of these two breeds, comparison of the nutritional characteristics between Jeju black cattle and Hanwoo have not been studied. Here, we compared the fatty acid and amino acid characteristics between two Korean traditional cattle and Wagyu breeds. A total of 62 cattle were used in this study. The Jeju black cattle beef had significantly higher unsaturated fatty acids than Hanwoo (p<0.05). Savory fatty acids, including oleic acid were also higher than in Hanwoo cattle (p<0.05). The negative flavor fatty acids, such as palmitic acid were significantly lower than in Hanwoo (p<0.001). On the other hand, linoleic acid which imparts a negative flavor was higher than Hanwoo (p<0.05). Amino acids, including alanine and glutamine, usually representative of the umami taste were present in significantly higher proportions in Jeju black cattle (p<0.05). In addition, bitter tasting amino acids, including valine, leucine, isoleucine, and methionine were lower in Jeju black cattle beef than in Hanwoo (p<0.05, p<0.001, p<0.001, and p<0.001 each). Taken together, our results suggest that Jeju black cattle beef had higher savory flavor and umami taste which affected consumers preference for the meat.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of morphological characteristics of porcine muscle fibers on growth performance, muscle fiber characteristics, and pork quality taken from the longissimus dorsi muscle. A total of 239 crossbred pigs (164 castrated males and 75 females) were used in this study. Experimental pigs were categorized by the total number of muscle fiber (TNF: High and Low) and cross sectional area of muscle fiber (CSAF: Large, Middle, and Small). Their combinations were classified into six groups (High-Large, HL; High-Middle, HM; High-Small, HS; Low-Large, LL; Low-Middle, LM; Low-Small, LS). The TNF and CSAF were significantly (p<0.05) correlated with growth rate and carcass productivity, while the only of the type I number had no meaningful relationships excluding the correlation with loin area (p<0.001). The proportion of type I area was positively correlated with pH45 min while the proportion of type IIB area was negatively correlated with pH45 min and pH24 h (p<0.05). Drip loss and protein denaturation had strong relationships with the proportion of type IIB number or area. The HL group exhibited the greatest growth performance. In addition, the HL group had significantly greater values in protein solubility than the other groups. In conclusion, this study suggest that high TNF combined to large CSAF improve the ultimate lean meat productivity and assure normal meat quality simultaneously with increased both proportion of number and area of type I, type IIA muscle fibers and lowered proportion of number and area of type IIB.

In the 1980s, Korean native black pigs from Jeju Island (Jeju black pigs) served as representative sample of Korean native black pigs, and efforts were made to help the species rebound from the brink of extinction, which occurred as a result of the introduction of Western pig breeds. Geographical separation of Jeju Island from the Korean peninsula has allowed Jeju black pigs not only to acquire unique characteristics but also to retain merits of rare Korean native black pigs. To further analyze the Jeju black pig genome, we performed whole-genome re-sequencing (average read depth of 14×) of 8 Jeju black pig and 6 Korean pigs (which live on the Korean peninsula) to compare and identify putative signatures of positive selection in Jeju black pig, the true and pure Korean native black pigs. The candidate genes potentially under positive selection in Jeju black pig support previous reports of high marbling score, rare occurrence of pale, soft, exudative (PSE) meat, but low growth rate and carcass weight compared to Western breeds. Several candidate genes potentially under positive selection were involved in fatty acid transport and may have contributed to the unique characteristics of meat quality in JBP. Jeju black pigs can offer a unique opportunity to investigate the true genetic resource of once endangered Korean native black pigs. Further genome-wide analyses of Jeju black pigs on a larger population scale are required in order to define a conservation strategy and improvement of native pig resources.