Isolation and Sequencing of the Gdf-8 Gene in Largemouth Bass

	Texas Chapter of the American Fisheries Society

From the 2000 Joint Meeting of the Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas Chapters of the American Fisheries Society held in Bossier City, Louisiana.

Isolation and Sequencing of the Gdf-8 Gene in Largemouth Bass

Wade, D., Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 5550 FM 2495, Athens, TX 75751

Growth development factor-8 (GDF-8) or myostatin is a member of a large family of genes that affect muscle growth and development and is highly conserved among vertebrate species. Inactivation of the myostatin gene results in excessive muscle mass and an overall increase in size. Recent advances in molecular biology have allowed agriculturists to exploit different expression of the gene to improve growth in food animals. Animals with a low fat and high muscle content can be achieved in less time and on 60 to 80 of the total food requirement and without effecting the consistency of the meat. Isolation and sequencing of this gene in largemouth bass could lead to an understanding of the genetic makeup of “lunker” bass and facilitate its use in a selective breeding program for largemouth bass.

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