Associations of DNA microsatellite locus and muscle protein amino acids in Rangifer tarandus reindeer

Purpose: study the correlations of STR-markers of DNA and amino acids of reindeer meat protein.Materials and methods: Amino acid analysis was performed according to GOST 34132–2017 «Meat and meat products. Method for determining the amino acid composition of animal protein». When setting up multiplex PCR STR, primers and microsatellite DNA loci used for deer (Cervidae) were taken. The nomenclature of loci corresponds to the world standard.Results. Information is provided on the quantitative content of amino acids in the protein of M. longissimus dorsi, on the size of amplicons, the association of amino acids and STR loci in a sample of Chukchi deer. The coefficient of variability of essential amino acids ranged from 7.9 to 11.8 %, which can provide an acceptable level of selection for this trait. Amino acids are associated with each other mainly statistically significantly, the degree of closeness of the relationship varies from medium to strong. Less closely correlated with other amino acids were methionine and proline. Most indicators of the relationship between microsatellite loci and amino acids turned out to be insignificant in magnitude, statistically unreliable and reverse in direction, which practically indicates the absence of a relationship between the traits. At the same time, a significant correlation of individual STR markers with amino acids was revealed. In particular, the NVHRT30 locus is associated with the essential amino acids VAL, LEU, ILE, THR with a coupling coefficient equal to: r1 = -0.322; r2 = -0.290; r3 = -0.272 and r4 = -0.437, respectively.Conclusion. The data obtained fit into the framework of the well-known thesis about the localization of microsatellites mainly in the non-coding regions of the DNA molecule. However, they can also be located in promoter regions and have linkage with candidate genes of quantitative trait loci. It is necessary to continue research in the chosen direction on other populations of the range in order to accumulate more significant amounts of information.