December 23, 2020

US researchers study how cattle microRNA affects meat quality and human health

Scientists from the University of Nevada, Reno, are studying how cattle microRNAs and the genes they influence affect beef meat quality and human health, Nevada Today reported.

MicroRNAs are small RNA molecules, part of the regulation of gene expression which converts DNA code in proteins. These carry out the cattle's cellular functions like development, differentiation, growth, and metabolism.

In this research, the scientists are looking at how feeding cattle various different diets will affect beef's microRNA profile, how microRNAs could be used to review meat quality, and how it could affect human health, specifically chronic diseases like cancer, coronary artery disease, and diabetes.

Amilton de Mello, a veterinarian and assistant professor of meat science and food safety in the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology & Natural Resources, said they are looking at comparing grass fed cattle against grain fed, as well as their nutritional values, at a molecular level to see how much of the cattle affects human genes.

de Mello, who is leading the research, said they are also finding out what dictates sensory traits in beef like flavour and tenderness. By finding the microRNAs for tenderness, they could silence the gene and stop the meat from getting tough.

He said this work is part of a nutrigenomics, a new science branch that evaluates genomics and nutrition interactions.

The research, funded by the College's Experiment Station and Hatch Act funds, began in January this year and will run through end-2021.

- Nevada Today