Muscle cellular characteristics of male kids from Turkish indigenous goat breeds

Indices of the transcriptional and translational capacity of muscle cells are directly related to growth in various livestock species. The main aim of this study was, therefore, to determine cellular characteristics and their relationship with metric measurements and muscle fibers number in longissimus-dorsi (LD) and semitendinosus (ST) skeletal muscles from male kids born to Angora, Hair, Honamli and Kilis breeds. Kilis kids had significant lower (except for Hair kids) muscle cross-sectional area (MSCA) in LD and ST muscles (p<0.05). Also depth and length (except for Angora kids) of ST muscle were significantly lower (p<0.05) in Kilis kids. Honamli kids had a significant higher (p<0.05) concentrations of DNA and RNA in both muscles, while Kilis kids had a significant lower (p<0.05) total protein in ST muscle. Protein:DNA and protein:RNA ratios of Angora kids in both muscles were significantly higher compared to other breeds (p<0.05). There were positive correlations between muscle depth (MD) and protein, MSCA and DNA, MSCA and RNA, MSCA and protein (p<0.05) in LD muscle. Similarly, positive correlations between MD and protein, muscle length (ML) and RNA, ML and protein, MSCA and protein (p<0.05) were observed in ST muscle. In conclusion, Turkish indigenous goat breeds have different transcriptional and translational capacity and these differences may be used to select more efficient breeds for fattening practices.