Thesis (Ph.D.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Agriculture - Department of Animal Production

Eleven growing one-humped male camels (8 Sudani and3 Maghrabi) were used to study their meat quantity and quality in terms of carcass traits, physical properties, chemical composition and histological traits of camel meat to find the relationship between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the growth hormone and Myogenic factor 5 genes and meat characteristics in male dromedary camels.The SNPs identification showed one SNP at the nucleotide number 377 which was a change of T nucleotide to either A or C nucleotide with frequencies of 0.73 and 0.27, respectively. The obtained sequences were converted into amino acid sequences, that conversion proved the change in the codon number 377 from T>A, and the translation into the amino acids from methionine to lysine, this SNP may be used as a candidate gene for meat quality traits in dromedary camel. The effects of MYF5 and GH genes on slaughter weight, dressing percentage, dressing percentage with hump and dressing percentage with Edible parts were significant, and the effect on carcass weight, left fore quarter weight, Left hind quarter weight, four quarters weight, edible parts weight and carcass with hump weight were even highly significant. The effects of MYF5 on neck weight, shoulder as a percentage, foreshank percentage, foreshank bone as a percentage, foreribs percentage, brisket weight, leg weight and loin weight were significant and the effects on carcass component weight, shoulder weight, filet weight and total carcass bone weight and percentage were even highly significant. The results also indicated that GH significantly contributed to the carcass cuts.The obtained sequences of MYF5, GH 3 UTR and 5 UTR were submitted and accepted at the international gene bank and got the accession numbers (KR909026.1, KR909027.1, KR902742.1, KR902743.1, KR902744.1 and KR902745.1).The effects of MYF5 and GH on eye muscle area, protein and fat contents were significant. The effects of GH on cocking loss percentage, thickens of fibers and bundle area were significant to highly significant.The results prove the possibility of using the studied genes in marker assisted selection programs for meat production in camels

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