UBE3B and ZRANB1 polymorphisms and transcript abundance are associated with water holding capacity of porcine M. longissimus dorsi

The degradation of myofibrillar proteins during meat maturation affects the water holding capacity (WHC) of meat. Our study sought to identify polymorphisms in UBE3B and ZRANB1, genes encoding proteins involved in ubiquitination, and to evaluate the relationship between genotype, transcript abundance, and WHC of pork. A single SNP of ZRANB1, c.552A > G (p.Ile153Val), and two silent SNPs of UBE3B, c.1921A > T and c.4292C > T, were associated with muscle pH, conductivity, meat colour, or drip loss in German Landrace (GL, n = 266) and Pietrain × (Large White × German Landrace) (PiF1, n = 316). Further, carriers of the minor alleles at the SNPs tended to have increased transcript abundance. Consistent with the protein degradation promoting and inhibiting effects of UBE3B and ZRANB1, respectively, and the expected impact on WHC, their expressions were positively and negatively associated with WHC. The results implicate that the SNPs in both genes are in linkage with a causal site that affects transcript abundance and WHC.