M6: Post task (Case Study): The Mystery of the Massively Muscular

Myostatin Bull

Questions:

1. List and describe the roles of the three different types of RNA involved in transcription and
translation.

● mRNA (messenger RNA): Produced during transcription. Carries the genetic instructions
of a gene from the nucleus to the ribosome in the cytoplasm. TRNA

● (ribosomal RNA); Together with proteins, composes the ribosome, the organelles that
are the site of protein synthesis

● tRNA (transfer RNA): Brings the correct amino acid to the ribosome during translation.

2. List the names and functions of the major proteins involved in transcription.

● Transcription is the process in which a gene's DNA sequence is copied (transcribed) to

make an RNA molecule. RNA polymerase is the main transcription enzyme.
Transcription begins when RNA polymerase binds to a promoter sequence near the
beginning of a gene (directly or through. helper proteins). RNA polymerase uses one of
the DNA strands (the template strand) as a template to make a new, complementary
RNA molecule. Transcription ends in a process called termination. Termination depends
on sequences in the RNA, which signal that the transcript is finished.

3. Why do you think the process of DNA is transcribed into mRNA and then translated into
protein is referred to as the "central dogma" of biology?

● It states that genes specify the sequence of mRNA molecules, which in turn specify the
sequence of proteins. Because the information stored in DNA is so central to cellular
function, the cell keeps the DNA protected and copies it in the form of RNA. The central
dogma suggests that DNA contains the information needed to make all of our proteins,
and that RNA is a messenger that carries this information to the ribosomes. The
ribosomes serve as factories in the cell where the information is "translated from a code
into the functional product.

4. Give one scenario that would explain how a mutation in the DNA of the Piedmontese bull
could lead to muscle hypertrophy.

● The Piedmontese MSTN missense mutation G938A is translated to C313Y myostatin

protein. This mutation alters MSTN function as a negative regulator of muscle growth,
 thereby inducing muscle hypertrophy. MIRNAS could play a role in skeletal muscle
hypertrophy modulation by down-regulating gene expression.

5. If more cows had the same musculature as the Piedmontese bull, how would that affect meat
production in countries that use cows as a primary meat source?

They would still need female calves to replace cows that aged out of producing calves. This
means that male calves would still be surplus and much more useful as steers for the meat
market. This means they would still have cow/calf operations where a small number of selected
bulls are used to impregnate a large number of cows. Cows aren't raised for their meat, but for
their ability to make more cattle. Peidmontese cattle are 'double-muscled, as they have a
genetic quirk, one or two copies of the 'inactive myostatin' gene and it's not just the bulls that
have it, though it is more obvious on them. Their meat has a higher lean meat-to-fat ratio, as
well as less fat marbling and less connective tissue, so yields should be higher and the meat
healthier than meat from cattle having the "active" version of this gene, which acts as a governor
on growth. Peidmontese cattle is really not economically viable to do what you suggest, though
there's definitely a specialty market for them.