Embryonic skeletal muscle development has become a paradigm for understanding the molecular basis of how cell lineages are established and how cells differentiate into specialized structures. Most vertebrate muscles are derived from individual somites that produce two distinct muscle populations: the myotomal muscles that generate the axial and trunk musculature and a second migratory cell popu...

OUR COMPREHENSION of how genetic factors influence a person’s susceptibility to complex disease has evolved markedly during the past 20 years. Major advances in molecular genetics technologies have contributed greatly to this process, as have improvements in phenotyping methods and statistical algorithms used in the analysis of quantitative genetics data. Although genetics studies that focus on...

Selective breeding programs aiming to increase the productivity and profitability of the sheep meat industry use elite, progeny tested sires. The broad genetic traits of primary interest in the progeny of these sires include skeletal muscle yield, fat content, eating quality, and reproductive efficiency. Natural mutations in sheep that enhance muscling have been identified, while a number of ge...

The objectives of this study were to characterize and define homogenous production environments of composite beef cattle in Brazil in terms of climatic and geographic variables by using multivariate exploratory techniques; to evaluate the presence of genotype by environment interaction (GxE) for post-weaning weight gain (PWG), yearling scrotal circumference (SC), and yearling muscling (MUS). Hi...