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Microarray technology is now available for many livestock species, and animal scientists are beginning to utilize the technology to address issues of importance to animal agriculture. This review discusses how microarray technology has been applied to study global gene expression changes in skeletal muscle. For example, microarrays have been used to elucidate gene function in knockout mice, evaluate breed differences, evaluate the effects of hormone administration, and evaluate the effects of diet. Data generated from these global gene expression studies are providing new insights to stimulate future hypothesis-driven research.

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is a neurodegenerative disease of cattle caused by abnormally folded prion proteins. Two regulatory region polymorphisms in the bovine prion gene are associated with resistance to classical BSE disease: a 23-bp region in the promoter that contains a binding site for the repressor protein RP58, and a 12-bp region in intron 1 that has a binding site for the transcription factor SP1. The presence of these binding sites enhances BSE resistance in cattle, whereas cattle that lack these regions are more susceptible to the disease. The present study examined the allele, genotype, and haplotype frequencies for the 23-bp and 12-bp polymorphisms in Holstein cattle from 9 different US states, and these frequencies were compared with data previously established for Holstein cattle from the United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan. Additionally, the coding region of the prion gene was sequenced from the US samples. Finally, archival samples from US Holstein sires born between 1953 and 1957 were analyzed. We found that the resistant allele and genotype frequencies for the US Holstein cattle were as high, or higher, relative to that observed in other countries. Furthermore, the current US frequencies were comparable to those determined in the archival samples from the 1950s. Based on the frequencies of these regulatory region polymorphisms, the US Holstein population is not at a greater risk for BSE than Holsteins worldwide.

Microarray technology is now available for many livestock species, and animal scientists are beginning to utilize the technology to address issues of importance to animal agriculture. This review discusses how microarray technology has been applied to study global gene expression changes in skeletal muscle. For example, microarrays have been used to elucidate gene function in knockout mice, evaluate breed differences, evaluate the effects of hormone administration, and evaluate the effects of diet. Data generated from these global gene expression studies are providing new insights to stimulate future hypothesis-driven research.