IMPROVING THE EFFICIENCY OF BEEF PRODUCTION BY UNDERSTANDING THE UNTAPPED POTENTIAL OF MITOCHONDRIAL VARIATION

The long-term objective of our teamis to understand how variation in the mitochondrial genome of beef cattle alters growth efficiency, environmental adaptability, and general well-being. The goal of this project is to determine how variation in mitochondrial genotype impacts mitochondrial function and overall animal efficiency. Our central hypothesis is that variation in genes coding for subunits of complexes of the electron transport chain, ATP synthase, or components of mitochondrial translation machinery, alter the efficiency of ATP production and thus contribute to variation in growth efficiency.We will address the project goal with the following objectives:Objective 1: Utilize individual growth and intake data to associate measures of animal efficiency with variation in mitochondrial genotypeObjective 2: Quantify multiple dimensions of mitochondrial physiology, including oxidative capacity, to elucidate how mitochondrial genotype impacts cellular metabolism