Elemental status of animals and its distribution among heifers with different allel set of genes associated with beef quality

The purpose of the study is to determine the effect of polymorphism of the CAPN1 and TG5 genes on the elemental status of heifers in the conditions of the technogenic zone of the Southern Urals. The study was conducted at Sovkhoz Bredinsky LLC, Chelyabinsk Region, on 40 heads of Simmental Bredinsky meat-type heifers. Laboratory studies were carried out at the Center for Collective Use of the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution of the Federal Scientific Center of the BST RAS. According to the results of genotyping, biosubstrates in the form of wool were taken from animals of different genotypes and sent to Mikronutrienty LLC (Moscow), where their elemental composition was determined by mass spectrometry using a Nexion 300D quadrupole mass spectrometer (Perkin Elmer, USA). The results indicate a moderate heterogeneity of the genotyped population for the CAPN1 gene and a significant shift in heterozygosity for the TG5 gene. The elemental status of the animals is reflected in a graph that does not show any excess of toxic elements of the upper limits of the reference values for the Southern Urals zone, with the exception of the excess of the upper centiles of the reference norms for some essential elements, such as Mg (265.3 µg/g), K (2840.7) and Na (1571.6 µg/g), which is associated with the peculiarities of the geochemical conditions of the area. The results of the analysis of the distribution of the content of elements in the hair of 15-16-month-old heifers, depending on the polymorphism of the CAPN1 and TG5 genes, showed the lack of reliability of the dependence of the content of elements in the hair of animals on the genotype according to the polymorphic state of the above genes. At the same time, some peculiarities in the distribution of magnesium were observed for the TG5 gene, the amount of which in animals with the TT genotype was 2.1 times less than in analogues with the CC genotype, and for zinc, on the contrary, it was 33.2 % more (P > 0.05). To obtain reliable values, it is necessary to repeat the studies on a larger sample.