Double Muscled?

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Kenz

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Could someone explain about double muscling? I've heard it mentioned around and was just curious. I know that it's a trait of Piedmontese, but that's about it :D Thanks
 
From Wikipeda:
Double-muscled cattle refers to breeds of cattle that carry a mutation which represses the myostatin protein, consequently augmenting muscle growth. Affected breeds include:

Belgian Blue
Piedmontese
Parthenais

Myostatin (from Wikipeda)

Myostatin (formerly known as Growth differentiation factor 8) is a growth factor that limits muscle tissue growth, i.e. higher concentrations of myostatin in the body may cause the individual to have less developed muscles. The myostatin protein is produced primarily in skeletal muscle cells, circulates in the blood and lymph and acts on muscle tissue, apparently by slowing down the development of muscle stem cells. The precise mechanism remains unknown. Its functions in non-mammalian vertebrates appear to be somewhat conserved as muscle-specific actions have been demonstrated in birds. However, it is produced in many different fish tissues, suggesting that it may regulate more than just muscle mass in these vertebrates.

"Double muscled" cattle don't actually have twice as many muscles, they just have more muscle fibers in the muscles.
 
Piedmontese have two copies of the gene. The unique thing with Piedmontese is that it does not manifest in the calves until they are about a month to six weeks old, thus are long and slender at birth. The cattle produce lean, juicy, and tender beef which is low in fat and cholesterol. For more information on Pieds you may want to check them out at www.pauscattle.org .
 
Jeanne - Simme Valley":2wv9bp3f said:
Cattle that are truly double muscled do not grade under the USDA inspection. They are considered a "no roll" - meaning they are not eligible to be graded (Prime, Choice, Select, etc.)
Go here for discussion on grading...

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=46463&p=525798&hilit=grading#p525798

and this is a response that Mike C got on the subject...

Dear Mr. Cxxxxx,



Thank you for your email dated November 6, 2007, regarding the grading specifications for double muscled animals. The US Standards for Carcass Beef have no provisions for conformation as a requirement for quality or yield grading. Most double muscled animals are generally lean and would qualify for the higher (Yield Grade 1 or 2) yield grades. Also because double muscled animals are very lean, the quality grades on double muscled animals could be lower (US Standard or US Select); however, the grading standards do not classify double muscled animals into any "inferior" classification. All carcasses are quality graded with the same factors, such as bone maturity, lean maturity and firmness, and marbling; yield graded with the same factors, such as carcass weight, external fat thickness, ribeye size, and kidney, heart, and pelvic fat percentage, regardless of muscling The following is a link to the standards, under Carcass Beef, for your review: http://www.ams.usda.gov/lsg/stand/st-pubs.htm If you have further questions, please feel free to contact me.



Sincerely,



Larry R. Meadows, Chief

USDA, MRP, AMS, LS

Meat Grading & Certification Branch

720-497-2550
 
there are at least 5 double muscling mutations

Piedmontese have one version and there is a commercial test for it.

parthenaise 100 years ago refers to several breeds of cattle, which include mancelle, forerunner to fullblood maine's. maine's today have two different mutations.

the entire gene has been sequenced a few years ago. it's pretty easy to google.

there is a theory that one version of double muscling may involve a duplication, and therefore, only one arm of the chromosome is necessary for double muscling to manifest itself. that means you don't need a copy from the mother AND the father. not proven yet, but totally possible as similar things happen in other genes. usually when you have a duplication, one of them is silenced by methylation.

here's an interesting take on a heterozygote form in dogs

http://www.plosgenetics.org/article/inf ... en.0030079

what would be a bummer is if maine's historic thickness was due to the heterozygous state of both mutations. even one would be a bummer. maine sires with double muscling are pretty well known.
 
thanks yall for the responses! CKC, you sound like a piedmontese fan :D
 
Go to You Tube and type in double muscled cows. The National Geographic had a TV program spot about it. Its about a lab in England that has done a natural breeding program to produce double muscled cows. They are ugly to say the lest.
 
Kenz":1lmijd6r said:
thanks yall for the responses! CKC, you sound like a piedmontese fan :D
;-) Yup, that would be me! Here is a picture of the sire of one of my cows....
WorldBeefExpo009.jpg
 
CKC1586":1q44x6ga said:
Kenz":1q44x6ga said:
thanks yall for the responses! CKC, you sound like a piedmontese fan :D
;-) Yup, that would be me! Here is a picture of the sire of one of my cows....
WorldBeefExpo009.jpg

That "cow" sure has terrible udder attachment!
 
CKC1586":31tvsxdm said:
:? Huh?? I thought I said he is sire of one of my cows...aka The Daddy to one of the girls...

Eyes are going bad, only saw that he was one of your cows.
 
That picture is hard on my eyes. Makes me cringe. Sorry, just have a hard time looking at him - ugly to my eyes. But, to each his own. That's why we have so many different breeds. Different strokes for different folks.
 
CKC, thats an impressive bull. piedmontese do look different than other breeds, but then i guess thats the point :)

do doubled muscled cattle develop have a tendency to develop structural problems? i really have no idea, just asking :D
 
Kenz":14b2q92h said:
CKC, thats an impressive bull. piedmontese do look different than other breeds, but then i guess thats the point :)

do doubled muscled cattle develop have a tendency to develop structural problems? i really have no idea, just asking :D
Nope no structural problems.
Jeanne, Sorry you don't like my breed. I think the Piedmontese are magnificent and beautiful. Very powerful and athletic. I guess the world would be a boring place if everyone thought the same.
This is his daughter as a yearling:
Brooke2OneYear.jpg
 
CKC that is one impressive bull :D I love the muscling on him, reminds me of the type of cattle my parents friends had years ago & why I like this breed. They would really add some bum to my Jerseys ;-)
Do you have much feet problems with the Pieds ?
Jane
 
Loch Valley Fold":31h6s6kl said:
CKC that is one impressive bull :D I love the muscling on him, reminds me of the type of cattle my parents friends had years ago & why I like this breed. They would really add some bum to my Jerseys ;-)
Do you have much feet problems with the Pieds ?
Jane
Only feet issues we have had are that we do routinely trim our show cattle. Occasionally will need to trim one that isn't wearing them off.
 

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