Sheila Schmutz, Sustainable Beef Systems Research, U of S

Sustainable Beef Systems Research Group

Dr. Sheila Schmutz

Department of Animal and Poultry Science

College of Agriculture and Bioresources

University of Saskatchewan

Saskatoon, Canada S7N 5A8

phone: (306)966-4153 fax: (306)966-4151

e-mail

Background

Dr. Schmutz obtained her Bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin in Stevens Point, her M.Sc. from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, and her Ph.D from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. She did a post doctoral fellowship in Medical Genetics at the University of Calgary and practiced in this field at the University of Saskatchewan's Medical College for two years.

She is now a Professor in the Department of Animal and Poultry Science with an associate membership in Large Animal Clinical Sciences. She teaches genetics to agriculture, veterinary and graduate students. She also teaches a new course in Canine Science. Dr. Schmutz was given the University of Saskatchewan's Outreach Award in May, 2005.

Research Areas

DNA studies in heritable disorders of purebred cattle
Inheritance and DNA studies of coat color in cattle
Genetics of the growth and appetite pathway, such as leptin
DNA studies of economically important traits such as polled and scurs
Genetic mapping of genes and traits in beef cattle

Dr. Schmutz has worked with several purebred cattle associations, such as the Canadian Salers Association, the Canadian Hereford Association, the Canadian Charolais Association and the Canadian Angus Association. One example of this work was a program to help eradicate Beta-mannosidosis from the Salers breed which was done gradually and successfully over a period of four years.

Dr. Schmutz has had a number of wonderful graduate students and continues to enjoy working with grad students. Carolyn Fitzsimmons discovered a mutation in the leptin gene which affects fat deposition while doing her Master's degree. Another grad student who was working on polled at the time, Leigh Marquess, was very intrigued by the potential applications of this mutation in the cattle industry. He later founded Quantum Genetics, Inc. to implement this.

Currently the main areas studied in her lab are genes affecting growth and carcass quality in beef cattle and coat color in both cattle and dogs. Often cattle owned by private producers such as Mr. Goodall, shown below are used in her studies. Barbara Schmidtz, a former Master's student is shown in the background.

Recent Research Publications

Helgeson, S.C. and S.M. Schmutz. 2008 Genetic variations in Pro-Melanin-Concentrating Hormon affect carcass traits in Bos taurus cattle. Animal Genetics, 39:310-315.
Boudreaux, M.K., S.M. Schmutz, P.S. French. 2007 Calcium diacylglycerol guanine nucleotide exchange factor I (CalDAG-GEFI) mutations in a thrombopathic Simmental calf. Veterinary Pathology. 44:932-935.
Goodall, J.J. and S.M. Schmutz. 2007. A SNP in the Imprinted IGF2 Gene Affects Rib-eye Area in Beef Cattle. Animal Genetics. 38:154-161.
Kazala, E.C., F.J. Lozeman, P.S. Mir, J.L. Aalhus, S. M. Schmutz, R.J. Weselake. 2007. Fatty Acid Composition of Muscle Fat and Enzyme of Storage Lipid Synthesis in Whole Muscle in the Canadian Beef Cattle. Lipids. 41:1049-1057.
Asai, M. , T. G. Berryere, and S.M. Schmutz. 2004. The scurs locus in cattle maps to bovine chromosome 19. Animal Genetics 35: 34-39.
Schmutz, S. M., and Tom G. Berryere, Daniel C. Ciobanu, Alan J. Mileham, Barbara H. Schmidtz, Merete Fredholm. 2004. A form of albinism in cattle is caused by a tyrosinase frameshift mutation. Mammalian Genome 15:62-67.
Buchanan, F.C., A.G. Van Kessel, C. Waldner, D.A. Christensen, B. Laarveld and S.M. Schmutz. 2003. Leptin Genotype and Dairy Performance. J. Dairy Sci. 85:1633-1638.
Goodall, J. J. and S.M. Schmutz. Linkage mapping of IGF2 on cattle chromosome 29. 2003 Animal Genetics 34:313.
Berryere, T.G., S. M. Schmutz, R. J. Schimpf, C. Michael Cowan, John Potter. 2003. TYRP1 is associated with dun brown coat colour in Dexter cattle or how now brown cow?. Animal Genetics 34:169-175.

Sheila Schmutz's Research and Outreach Webpage

This webpage was last updated on March 11, 2010. The linked pages in this series may have been updated more recently however.

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