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Atashi H, Chen Y, Vanderick S, Hubin X, Gengler N. Single-step genome-wide association analyses for milk urea concentration in Walloon Holstein cows. J Dairy Sci 2024; 107:3020-3031. [PMID: 38056570 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2023-23902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
The aims of this study were to conduct a single-step genome-wide association to identify genomic regions associated with milk urea (MU) and to estimate genetic correlations between MU and milk yield (MY), milk composition (calcium content [CC], fat percentage [FP], protein percentage [PP], and casein percentage [CNP]), and cheese-making properties (CMP; coagulation time [CT], curd firmness after 30 min from rennet addition [a30], and titratable acidity [TA]). The used data have been collected from 2015 to 2020 on 78,073 first-parity (485,218 test-day records) and 48,766 second-parity (284,942 test-day records) Holstein cows distributed in 671 herds in the Walloon Region of Belgium. Data of 565,533 SNP located on 29 BTA of 6,617 animals (1,712 males) were used. Random regression test-day models were used to estimate genetic parameters through the Bayesian Gibbs sampling method. The SNP solutions were estimated using a single-step genomic BLUP approach. The proportion of the total additive genetic variance explained by windows of 50 consecutive SNPs (with an average size of ∼216 kb) was calculated, and the top-3 genomic regions explaining the largest rate of the genetic variance were considered promising regions and used to identify potential candidate genes. Mean (SD) MU was 25.38 (8.02) mg/dL and 25.03 (8.06) mg/dL in the first and second lactation, respectively. Mean heritability estimates for daily MU were 0.21 and 0.23 for the first and second lactation, respectively. The genetic correlations estimated between MU and MY, milk composition, and CMP were quite low (ranged from -0.10 [CC] to 0.10 [TA] and -0.05 [CT] to 0.13 [TA] for the first and second lactations, respectively). The top-3 regions associated with MU were located from 80.61 to 80.74 Mb on BTA6, 103.26 to 103.41 Mb on BTA11, and 1.59 to 2.15 Mb on BTA14. Genes including KCNT1, MROH1, SHARPIN, TSSK5, CPSF1, HSF1, TONSL, DGAT1, SCX, and MAF1 were identified as positional candidate genes for MU. The findings of this study can be used for a better understanding of the genomic architecture underlying MU in Holstein cattle.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Atashi
- TERRA Teaching and Research Center, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liège, 5030 Gembloux, Belgium; Department of Animal Science, Shiraz University, 71441-13131 Shiraz, Iran.
| | - Y Chen
- TERRA Teaching and Research Center, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liège, 5030 Gembloux, Belgium
| | - S Vanderick
- TERRA Teaching and Research Center, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liège, 5030 Gembloux, Belgium
| | - X Hubin
- Elevéo asbl Awé Group, 5590 Ciney, Belgium
| | - N Gengler
- TERRA Teaching and Research Center, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liège, 5030 Gembloux, Belgium
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Siberski-Cooper CJ, Mayes MS, Gorden PJ, Kramer L, Bhatia V, Koltes JE. The genetic architecture of complete blood counts in lactating Holstein dairy cows. Front Genet 2024; 15:1360295. [PMID: 38601075 PMCID: PMC11004310 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2024.1360295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Complete blood counts (CBCs) measure the abundance of individual immune cells, red blood cells, and related measures such as platelets in circulating blood. These measures can indicate the health status of an animal; thus, baseline circulating levels in a healthy animal may be related to the productive life, resilience, and production efficiency of cattle. The objective of this study is to determine the heritability of CBC traits and identify genomic regions that are associated with CBC measurements in lactating Holstein dairy cattle. The heritability of CBCs was estimated using a Bayes C0 model. The study population consisted of 388 cows with genotypes at roughly 75,000 markers and 16 different CBC phenotypes taken at one to three time points (n = 33, 131, and 224 for 1, 2, and 3 time points, respectively). Heritabilities ranged from 0.00 ± 0.00 (red cell distribution width) to 0.68 ± 0.06 (lymphocytes). A total of 96 different 1-Mb windows were identified that explained more than 1% of the genetic variance for at least one CBC trait, with 10 windows explaining more than 1% of the genetic variance for two or more traits. Multiple genes in the identified regions have functions related to immune response, cell differentiation, anemia, and disease. Positional candidate genes include RAD52 motif-containing protein 1 (RDM1), which is correlated with the degree of immune infiltration of immune cells, and C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12), which is critically involved in neutrophil bone marrow storage and release regulation and enhances neutrophil migration. Since animal health directly impacts feed intake, understanding the genetics of CBCs may be useful in identifying more disease-resilient and feed-efficient dairy cattle. Identification of genes responsible for variation in CBCs will also help identify the variability in how dairy cattle defend against illness and injury.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mary S. Mayes
- Department of Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Patrick J. Gorden
- Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Luke Kramer
- Department of Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Vishesh Bhatia
- Department of Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States
| | - James E. Koltes
- Department of Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States
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Wang Y, Wang Z, Liu W, Xie S, Ren X, Yan L, Liang D, Gao T, Fu T, Zhang Z, Huang H. Genetic Background of Blood β-Hydroxybutyrate Acid Concentrations in Early-Lactating Holstein Dairy Cows Based on Genome-Wide Association Analyses. Genes (Basel) 2024; 15:412. [PMID: 38674346 PMCID: PMC11049649 DOI: 10.3390/genes15040412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2024] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/24/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Ketosis is a common metabolic disorder in the early lactation of dairy cows. It is typically diagnosed by measuring the concentration of β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) in the blood. This study aimed to estimate the genetic parameters of blood BHB and conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) based on the estimated breeding value. Phenotypic data were collected from December 2019 to August 2023, comprising blood BHB concentrations in 45,617 Holstein cows during the three weeks post-calving across seven dairy farms. Genotypic data were obtained using the Neogen Geneseek Genomic Profiler (GGP) Bovine 100 K SNP Chip and GGP Bovine SNP50 v3 (Illumina Inc., San Diego, CA, USA) for genotyping. The estimated heritability and repeatability values for blood BHB levels were 0.167 and 0.175, respectively. The GWAS result detected a total of ten genome-wide significant associations with blood BHB. Significant SNPs were distributed in Bos taurus autosomes (BTA) 2, 6, 9, 11, 13, and 23, with 48 annotated candidate genes. These potential genes included those associated with insulin regulation, such as INSIG2, and those linked to fatty acid metabolism, such as HADHB, HADHA, and PANK2. Enrichment analysis of the candidate genes for blood BHB revealed the molecular functions and biological processes involved in fatty acid and lipid metabolism in dairy cattle. The identification of novel genomic regions in this study contributes to the characterization of key genes and pathways that elucidate susceptibility to ketosis in dairy cattle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yueqiang Wang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, China; (Z.W.); (W.L.); (S.X.); (Y.W.); (D.L.); (T.G.); (T.F.)
- College of Animal Science, Anhui Science and Technology University, Fengyang 233100, China
- Henan International Joint Laboratory of Nutrition Regulation and Ecological Raising of Domestic Animal, Zhengzhou 450046, China
| | - Zhenyu Wang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, China; (Z.W.); (W.L.); (S.X.); (Y.W.); (D.L.); (T.G.); (T.F.)
- Henan International Joint Laboratory of Nutrition Regulation and Ecological Raising of Domestic Animal, Zhengzhou 450046, China
| | - Wenhui Liu
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, China; (Z.W.); (W.L.); (S.X.); (Y.W.); (D.L.); (T.G.); (T.F.)
- Henan International Joint Laboratory of Nutrition Regulation and Ecological Raising of Domestic Animal, Zhengzhou 450046, China
| | - Shuoqi Xie
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, China; (Z.W.); (W.L.); (S.X.); (Y.W.); (D.L.); (T.G.); (T.F.)
- Henan International Joint Laboratory of Nutrition Regulation and Ecological Raising of Domestic Animal, Zhengzhou 450046, China
| | - Xiaoli Ren
- Henan Dairy Herd Improvement Center, Zhengzhou 450046, China; (X.R.); (L.Y.)
| | - Lei Yan
- Henan Dairy Herd Improvement Center, Zhengzhou 450046, China; (X.R.); (L.Y.)
| | - Dong Liang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, China; (Z.W.); (W.L.); (S.X.); (Y.W.); (D.L.); (T.G.); (T.F.)
- Henan International Joint Laboratory of Nutrition Regulation and Ecological Raising of Domestic Animal, Zhengzhou 450046, China
| | - Tengyun Gao
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, China; (Z.W.); (W.L.); (S.X.); (Y.W.); (D.L.); (T.G.); (T.F.)
- Henan International Joint Laboratory of Nutrition Regulation and Ecological Raising of Domestic Animal, Zhengzhou 450046, China
| | - Tong Fu
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, China; (Z.W.); (W.L.); (S.X.); (Y.W.); (D.L.); (T.G.); (T.F.)
- Henan International Joint Laboratory of Nutrition Regulation and Ecological Raising of Domestic Animal, Zhengzhou 450046, China
| | - Zhen Zhang
- Henan Dairy Herd Improvement Center, Zhengzhou 450046, China; (X.R.); (L.Y.)
| | - Hetian Huang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, China; (Z.W.); (W.L.); (S.X.); (Y.W.); (D.L.); (T.G.); (T.F.)
- Henan International Joint Laboratory of Nutrition Regulation and Ecological Raising of Domestic Animal, Zhengzhou 450046, China
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Saravanan KA, Rajawat D, Kumar H, Nayak SS, Bhushan B, Dutt T, Panigrahi M. Signatures of selection in riverine buffalo populations revealed by genome-wide SNP data. Anim Biotechnol 2023; 34:3343-3354. [PMID: 36384399 DOI: 10.1080/10495398.2022.2145292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The detection of selection signatures assists in understanding domestication, evolution, and the identification of genomic regions related to adaptation and production traits in buffaloes. The emergence of high-throughput technologies like Next Generation Sequencing and SNP genotyping had expanded our ability to detect these signatures of selection. In this study, we sought to identify signatures of selection in five buffalo populations (Brazilian Murrah, Bulgarian Murrah, Indian Murrah, Nili-Ravi, and Kundi) using Axiom Buffalo 90 K Genotyping Array data. Using seven different methodologies (Tajima's D, CLR, ROH, iHS, FST, FLK and hapFLK), we identified selection signatures in 374 genomic regions, spanning a total of 381 genes and 350 quantitative trait loci (QTLs). Among these, several candidate genes were associated with QTLs for milk production, reproduction, growth and carcass traits. The genes and QTLs reported in this study provide insight into selection signals shaping the genome of buffalo breeds. Our findings can aid in further genomic association studies, genomic prediction, and the implementation of breeding programmes in Indian buffaloes.
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Affiliation(s)
- K A Saravanan
- Division of Animal Genetics, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, India
| | - Divya Rajawat
- Division of Animal Genetics, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, India
| | - Harshit Kumar
- Division of Animal Genetics, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, India
| | - Sonali Sonejita Nayak
- Division of Animal Genetics, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, India
| | - Bharat Bhushan
- Division of Animal Genetics, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, India
| | - Triveni Dutt
- Livestock Production and Management Section, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, India
| | - Manjit Panigrahi
- Division of Animal Genetics, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, India
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5
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Persichilli C, Senczuk G, Mastrangelo S, Marusi M, van Kaam JT, Finocchiaro R, Di Civita M, Cassandro M, Pilla F. Exploring genome-wide differentiation and signatures of selection in Italian and North American Holstein populations. J Dairy Sci 2023; 106:5537-5553. [PMID: 37291034 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2022-22159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Among Italian dairy cattle, the Holstein is the most reared breed for the production of Parmigiano Reggiano protected designation of origin cheese, which represents one of the most renowned products in the entire Italian dairy industry. In this work, we used a medium-density genome-wide data set consisting of 79,464 imputed SNPs to study the genetic structure of Italian Holstein breed, including the population reared in the area of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese production, and assessing its distinctiveness from the North American population. Multidimensional scaling and ADMIXTURE approaches were used to explore the genetic structure among populations. We also investigated putative genomic regions under selection among these 3 populations by combining 4 different statistical methods based either on allele frequencies (single marker and window-based) or extended haplotype homozygosity (EHH; standardized log-ratio of integrated EHH and cross-population EHH). The genetic structure results allowed us to clearly distinguish the 3 Holstein populations; however, the most remarkable difference was observed between Italian and North American stock. Selection signature analyses identified several significant SNPs falling within or closer to genes with known roles in several traits such as milk quality, resistance to disease, and fertility. In particular, a total of 22 genes related to milk production have been identified using the 2 allele frequency approaches. Among these, a convergent signal has been found in the VPS8 gene which resulted to be involved in milk traits, whereas other genes (CYP7B1, KSR2, C4A, LIPE, DCDC1, GPR20, and ST3GAL1) resulted to be associated with quantitative trait loci related to milk yield and composition in terms of fat and protein percentage. In contrast, a total of 7 genomic regions were identified combining the results of standardized log-ratio of integrated EHH and cross-population EHH. In these regions candidate genes for milk traits were also identified. Moreover, this was also confirmed by the enrichment analyses in which we found that the majority of the significantly enriched quantitative trait loci were linked to milk traits, whereas the gene ontology and pathway enrichment analysis pointed to molecular functions and biological processes involved in AA transmembrane transport and methane metabolism pathway. This study provides information on the genetic structure of the examined populations, showing that they are distinguishable from each other. Furthermore, the selection signature analyses can be considered as a starting point for future studies in the identification of causal mutations and consequent implementation of more practical application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Persichilli
- Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, University of Molise, Via A. De sanctis, 86100 Campobasso (CB), Italy
| | - Gabriele Senczuk
- Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, University of Molise, Via A. De sanctis, 86100 Campobasso (CB), Italy.
| | - Salvatore Mastrangelo
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo (PA), Italy
| | - Maurizio Marusi
- National Association of Italian Holstein, Brown and Jersey Breeders, Via Bergamo, 292, 26100 Cremona (CR), Italy
| | - Jan-Thijs van Kaam
- National Association of Italian Holstein, Brown and Jersey Breeders, Via Bergamo, 292, 26100 Cremona (CR), Italy
| | - Raffaella Finocchiaro
- National Association of Italian Holstein, Brown and Jersey Breeders, Via Bergamo, 292, 26100 Cremona (CR), Italy
| | - Marika Di Civita
- Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, University of Molise, Via A. De sanctis, 86100 Campobasso (CB), Italy
| | - Martino Cassandro
- National Association of Italian Holstein, Brown and Jersey Breeders, Via Bergamo, 292, 26100 Cremona (CR), Italy; Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padova, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy
| | - Fabio Pilla
- Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, University of Molise, Via A. De sanctis, 86100 Campobasso (CB), Italy
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6
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Wang Q, Cui Y, Indugu N, Loor JJ, Jiang Q, Yu Z, Baker L, Pitta D, Deng Z, Xu C. Integrated meta-omics analyses reveal a role of ruminal microorganisms in ketone body accumulation and ketosis in lactating dairy cows. J Dairy Sci 2023:S0022-0302(23)00327-2. [PMID: 37296048 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2022-22282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The extent to which a nutrition-related disorder such as ketosis alters the ruminal microbiota or whether microbiota composition is related to ketosis and potential associations with host metabolism is unknown. We aimed to evaluate variations occurring in the ruminal microbiota of ketotic and nonketotic cows in the early postpartum period, and how those changes may affect the risk of developing the disease. Data on milk yield, dry matter intake (DMI), body condition score, and blood β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) concentrations at 21 d postpartum were used to select 27 cows, which were assigned (n = 9 per group) to a clinical ketotic (CK, 4.10 ± 0.72 mmol BHB/L, DMI 11.61 ± 0.49 kg/d, ruminal pH 7.55 ± 0.07), subclinical ketotic (SK, 1.36 ± 0.12 mmol BHB/L, DMI 15.24 ± 0.34 kg/d, ruminal pH 7.58 ± 0.08), or control (NK, 0.88 ± 0.14 mmol BHB/L, DMI 16.74 ± 0.67/d, ruminal pH 7.61 ± 0.03) group. Cows averaged 3.6 ± 0.5 lactations and a body condition score of 3.11 ± 0.34 at the time of sampling. After blood serum collection for metabolomics analysis (1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectra), 150 mL of ruminal digesta was collected from each cow using an esophageal tube, paired-end (2 × 300 bp) sequencing of isolated DNA from ruminal digesta was performed via Illumina MiSeq, and sequencing data were analyzed using QIIME2 (v 2020.6) to measure the ruminal microbiota composition and relative abundance. Spearman correlation coefficients were used to evaluate relationships between relative abundance of bacterial genera and concentrations of serum metabolites. There were more than 200 genera, with approximately 30 being significant between NK and CK cows. Succinivibrionaceae UCG 1 taxa decreased in CK compared with NK cows. Christensenellaceae (Spearman correlation coefficient = 0.6), Ruminococcaceae (Spearman correlation coefficient = 0.6), Lachnospiraceae (Spearman correlation coefficient = 0.5), and Prevotellaceae (Spearman correlation coefficient = 0.6) genera were more abundant in the CK group and were highly positively correlated with plasma BHB. Metagenomic analysis indicated a high abundance of predicted functions related to metabolism (37.7%), genetic information processing (33.4%), and Brite hierarchies (16.3%) in the CK group. The 2 most important metabolic pathways for butyrate and propionate production were enriched in CK cows, suggesting increased production of acetyl coenzyme A and butyrate and decreased production of propionate. Overall, the combined data suggested that microbial populations may be related to ketosis by affecting short-chain fatty acid metabolism and BHB accumulation even in cows with adequate feed intake in the early postpartum period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiuju Wang
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, No. 2 Xinyang Road, New Development District, Daqing, Heilongjiang, China 163319; Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Feed Resources and Nutrition Manipulation in Cold Region of Heilongjiang Province, China 163319
| | - Yizhe Cui
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, No. 2 Xinyang Road, New Development District, Daqing, Heilongjiang, China 163319
| | - Nagaraju Indugu
- Department of Clinical Studies, School of Veterinary Medicine, New Bolton Center, University of Pennsylvania, Kennett Square 19348
| | - Juan J Loor
- Department of Animal Sciences and Division of Nutritional Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana 61801
| | - Qianming Jiang
- Department of Animal Sciences and Division of Nutritional Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana 61801
| | - Zhongtang Yu
- Department of Animal Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus 43210
| | - Linda Baker
- Department of Clinical Studies, School of Veterinary Medicine, New Bolton Center, University of Pennsylvania, Kennett Square 19348
| | - Dipti Pitta
- Department of Clinical Studies, School of Veterinary Medicine, New Bolton Center, University of Pennsylvania, Kennett Square 19348
| | - Zhaoju Deng
- College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China 100083
| | - Chuang Xu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China 100083.
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7
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Chen Y, Atashi H, Grelet C, Mota RR, Vanderick S, Hu H, Gengler N. Genome-wide association study and functional annotation analyses for nitrogen efficiency index and its composition traits in dairy cattle. J Dairy Sci 2023; 106:3397-3410. [PMID: 36894424 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2022-22351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 03/09/2023]
Abstract
The aims of this study were (1) to identify genomic regions associated with a N efficiency index (NEI) and its composition traits and (2) to analyze the functional annotation of identified genomic regions. The NEI included N intake (NINT1), milk true protein N (MTPN1), milk urea N yield (MUNY1) in primiparous cattle, and N intake (NINT2+), milk true protein N (MTPN2+), and milk urea N yield (MUNY2+) in multiparous cattle (2 to 5 parities). The edited data included 1,043,171 records on 342,847 cows distributed in 1,931 herds. The pedigree consisted of 505,125 animals (17,797 males). Data of 565,049 SNPs were available for 6,998 animals included in the pedigree (5,251 females and 1,747 males). The SNP effects were estimated using a single-step genomic BLUP approach. The proportion of the total additive genetic variance explained by windows of 50 consecutive SNPs (with an average size of about 240 kb) was calculated. The top 3 genomic regions explaining the largest rate of the total additive genetic variance of the NEI and its composition traits were selected for candidate gene identification and quantitative trait loci (QTL) annotation. The selected genomic regions explained from 0.17% (MTPN2+) to 0.58% (NEI) of the total additive genetic variance. The largest explanatory genomic regions of NEI, NINT1, NINT2+, MTPN1, MTPN2+, MUNY1, and MUNY2+ were Bos taurus autosome 14 (1.52-2.09 Mb), 26 (9.24-9.66 Mb), 16 (75.41-75.51 Mb), 6 (8.73-88.92 Mb), 6 (8.73-88.92 Mb), 11 (103.26-103.41 Mb), 11 (103.26-103.41 Mb). Based on the literature, gene ontology, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, and protein-protein interaction, 16 key candidate genes were identified for NEI and its composition traits, which are mainly expressed in the milk cell, mammary, and liver tissues. The number of enriched QTL related to NEI, NINT1, NINT2+, MTPN1, and MTPN2+ were 41, 6, 4, 11, 36, 32, and 32, respectively, and most of them were related to the milk, health, and production classes. In conclusion, this study identified genomic regions associated with NEI and its composition traits, and identified key candidate genes describing the genetic mechanisms of N use efficiency-related traits. Furthermore, the NEI reflects not only its composition traits but also the interactions among them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Chen
- TERRA Teaching and Research Center, University of Liège, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech (ULiège-GxABT), 5030 Gembloux, Belgium.
| | - H Atashi
- TERRA Teaching and Research Center, University of Liège, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech (ULiège-GxABT), 5030 Gembloux, Belgium; Department of Animal Science, Shiraz University, 71441-65186 Shiraz, Iran
| | - C Grelet
- Walloon Agricultural Research Center (CRA-W), 5030 Gembloux, Belgium
| | - R R Mota
- Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding, Bowie, MD 20716
| | - S Vanderick
- TERRA Teaching and Research Center, University of Liège, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech (ULiège-GxABT), 5030 Gembloux, Belgium
| | - H Hu
- TERRA Teaching and Research Center, University of Liège, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech (ULiège-GxABT), 5030 Gembloux, Belgium
| | | | - N Gengler
- TERRA Teaching and Research Center, University of Liège, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech (ULiège-GxABT), 5030 Gembloux, Belgium
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8
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Serrenho RC, Church C, McGee D, Duffield TF. Association of herd hyperketolactia prevalence with transition management practices and herd productivity on Canadian dairy farms-A retrospective cross-sectional study. J Dairy Sci 2023; 106:2819-2829. [PMID: 36797183 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2022-22377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
The objective of this observational study was to assess the relationship between herd-level prevalence of hyperketolactia (HPH) with management practices of the transition period and herd milk production. Dairy herds (n = 71) were selected based on their inclusion in a herd management risk assessment study (August 2014-March 2018) using a Vital 90 (Elanco) Risk Assessment tool (one assessment per farm). Data from multiple milk recording test-days (Dairy Herd Improvement, DHI; Lactanet) were included in the analysis. Tests performed within ±6 mo relative to each farm's risk assessment date were included (10 ± 2 SD tests per farm). The majority of the farms were located in Ontario (83%). For each farm DHI test, the data set included herd average milk yield (kg/cow per day), average milk fat and protein (%), average somatic cell count (cells/mL), average days in milk (DIM), number of cows tested for ketosis, number of ketosis-positive tests (milk β-hydroxybutyrate ≥0.15 mmol/L), and proportion of cows by parity groups. Overall HPH (5-21 DIM) was calculated based on data available per farm (sum of all positive tests within 5-21 DIM/sum of all cows tested within 5-21 DIM). Each farm average was obtained by considering all test-days. A logit-transformation was applied to hyperketolactia prevalence. Linear regression models (PROC GLM and MIXED of SAS, Version 9.4) were used to predict herd HPH (milk β-hydroxybutyrate ≥0.15 mmol/L within 5 to 21 DIM; the outcome of interest). Four initial models (far-off, close-up, and fresh periods, and DHI) were separately built to assess associations between their variables and HPH; a final model considered variables selected in the initial models. Univariable (liberal P < 0.25) followed by multivariable models were used to build specific models for each period of the risk assessment. Herd prevalence of hyperketolactia was 27 ± 14%, with an average herd size of 141 ± 110 cows. The final HPH model (R2 = 24.8%) included weighted milk yield, the proportion of primiparous cows, water access in the close-up period, and access to rest areas or stall access in the fresh period. Herd prevalence of hyperketolactia was negatively associated with milk yield [odds ratio, OR = 0.96 (95% confidence interval 0.92-0.99)] and proportion of primiparous cows [OR = 0.98 (0.96-0.99)]. The odds of hyperketolactia were greater with poor water access and quality (<5 cm of linear access per cow; dirty water; only 1 water location in pen) than with ≥10.2 cm of linear access per cow; clean water; >2 water locations in pen [1.23 (1.11-2.39)] in the close-up period. The odds of hyperketolactia were greater in farms providing limited access to rest areas in the fresh period than in farms providing constant access to rest areas, without dead-ends [1.64 (1.03-2.80)]. In Canadian dairy herds, HPH in early lactation was associated with certain transition-period management practices and was negatively associated with herd productivity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Todd F Duffield
- Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
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9
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Neumann GB, Korkuć P, Arends D, Wolf MJ, May K, König S, Brockmann GA. Genomic diversity and relationship analyses of endangered German Black Pied cattle (DSN) to 68 other taurine breeds based on whole-genome sequencing. Front Genet 2023; 13:993959. [PMID: 36712857 PMCID: PMC9875303 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.993959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
German Black Pied cattle (Deutsches Schwarzbuntes Niederungsrind, DSN) are an endangered dual-purpose cattle breed originating from the North Sea region. The population comprises about 2,500 cattle and is considered one of the ancestral populations of the modern Holstein breed. The current study aimed at defining the breeds closest related to DSN cattle, characterizing their genomic diversity and inbreeding. In addition, the detection of selection signatures between DSN and Holstein was a goal. Relationship analyses using fixation index (FST), phylogenetic, and admixture analyses were performed between DSN and 68 other breeds from the 1000 Bull Genomes Project. Nucleotide diversity, observed heterozygosity, and expected heterozygosity were calculated as metrics for genomic diversity. Inbreeding was measured as excess of homozygosity (FHom) and genomic inbreeding (FRoH) through runs of homozygosity (RoHs). Region-wide FST and cross-population-extended haplotype homozygosity (XP-EHH) between DSN and Holstein were used to detect selection signatures between the two breeds, and RoH islands were used to detect selection signatures within DSN and Holstein. DSN showed a close genetic relationship with breeds from the Netherlands, Belgium, Northern Germany, and Scandinavia, such as Dutch Friesian Red, Dutch Improved Red, Belgian Red White Campine, Red White Dual Purpose, Modern Angler, Modern Danish Red, and Holstein. The nucleotide diversity in DSN (0.151%) was higher than in Holstein (0.147%) and other breeds, e.g., Norwegian Red (0.149%), Red White Dual Purpose (0.149%), Swedish Red (0.149%), Hereford (0.145%), Angus (0.143%), and Jersey (0.136%). The FHom and FRoH values in DSN were among the lowest. Regions with high FST between DSN and Holstein, significant XP-EHH regions, and RoH islands detected in both breeds harbor candidate genes that were previously reported for milk, meat, fertility, production, and health traits, including one QTL detected in DSN for endoparasite infection resistance. The selection signatures between DSN and Holstein provide evidence of regions responsible for the dual-purpose properties of DSN and the milk type of Holstein. Despite the small population size, DSN has a high level of diversity and low inbreeding. FST supports its relatedness to breeds from the same geographic origin and provides information on potential gene pools that could be used to maintain diversity in DSN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guilherme B. Neumann
- Animal Breeding Biology and Molecular Genetics, Albrecht Daniel Thaer-Institute for Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Paula Korkuć
- Animal Breeding Biology and Molecular Genetics, Albrecht Daniel Thaer-Institute for Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Danny Arends
- Animal Breeding Biology and Molecular Genetics, Albrecht Daniel Thaer-Institute for Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany,Department of Applied Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Manuel J. Wolf
- Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Justus-Liebig-Universität, Giessen, Germany
| | - Katharina May
- Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Justus-Liebig-Universität, Giessen, Germany
| | - Sven König
- Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Justus-Liebig-Universität, Giessen, Germany
| | - Gudrun A. Brockmann
- Animal Breeding Biology and Molecular Genetics, Albrecht Daniel Thaer-Institute for Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany,*Correspondence: Gudrun A. Brockmann,
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10
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Falchi L, Cesarani A, Mastrangelo S, Senczuk G, Portolano B, Pilla F, Macciotta NPP. Analysis of runs of homozygosity of cattle living in different climate zones. J Anim Sci 2023; 101:skad061. [PMID: 36802370 PMCID: PMC10066727 DOI: 10.1093/jas/skad061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Aim of this study was to analyze the distribution and characteristics of runs of homozygosity in Bos taurus taurus and Bos taurus indicus breeds, as well as their crosses, farmed all around the world. With this aim in view, we used single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) genotypes for 3,263 cattle belonging to 204 different breeds. After quality control, 23,311 SNPs were retained for the analysis. Animals were divided into seven different groups: 1) continental taurus, 2) temperate taurus, 3) temperate indicus, 4) temperate composite, 5) tropical taurus, 6) tropical indicus, and 7) tropical composite. The climatic zones were created according to the latitude of the breeds' country of origin: i) continental, latitude ≥ 45°; ii) temperate, 45°< Latitude >23.26°; iii) tropics, latitude ≤ 23.26°. Runs of homozygosity were computed as 15 SNPs spanning in at least 2 Mb; number of ROH per animal (nROH), average ROH length (meanMb), and ROH-based inbreeding coefficients (FROH) were also computed. Temperate indicus showed the largest nROH, whereas Temperate taurus the lowest value. Moreover, the largest meanMb was observed for Temperate taurus, whereas the lowest value for Tropics indicus. Temperate indicus breeds showed the largest FROH values. Genes mapped in the identified ROH were reported to be associated with the environmental adaptation, disease resistance, coat color determinism, and production traits. Results of the present study confirmed that runs of homozygosity could be used to identify genomic signatures due to both artificial and natural selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Falchi
- Dipartimento di Agraria, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy
| | - Alberto Cesarani
- Dipartimento di Agraria, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy
- Department of Animal and Dairy Science, University of Georgia, 30602 Athens, USA
| | - Salvatore Mastrangelo
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Forestali, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
| | - Gabriele Senczuk
- Dipartimento di Agricoltura, Ambiente e Alimenti, University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, Italy
| | - Baldassare Portolano
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Forestali, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
| | - Fabio Pilla
- Dipartimento di Agricoltura, Ambiente e Alimenti, University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, Italy
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11
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Lozada-Soto EA, Tiezzi F, Jiang J, Cole JB, VanRaden PM, Maltecca C. Genomic characterization of autozygosity and recent inbreeding trends in all major breeds of US dairy cattle. J Dairy Sci 2022; 105:8956-8971. [PMID: 36153159 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2022-22116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Maintaining a genetically diverse dairy cattle population is critical to preserving adaptability to future breeding goals and avoiding declines in fitness. This study characterized the genomic landscape of autozygosity and assessed trends in genetic diversity in 5 breeds of US dairy cattle. We analyzed a sizable genomic data set containing 4,173,679 pedigreed and genotyped animals of the Ayrshire, Brown Swiss, Guernsey, Holstein, and Jersey breeds. Runs of homozygosity (ROH) of 2 Mb or longer in length were identified in each animal. The within-breed means for number and the combined length of ROH were highest in Jerseys (62.66 ± 8.29 ROH and 426.24 ± 83.40 Mb, respectively; mean ± SD) and lowest in Ayrshires (37.24 ± 8.27 ROH and 265.05 ± 85.00 Mb, respectively). Short ROH were the most abundant, but moderate to large ROH made up the largest proportion of genome autozygosity in all breeds. In addition, we identified ROH islands in each breed. This revealed selection patterns for milk production, productive life, health, and reproduction in most breeds and evidence for parallel selective pressure for loci on chromosome 6 between Ayrshire and Brown Swiss and for loci on chromosome 20 between Holstein and Jersey. We calculated inbreeding coefficients using 3 different approaches, pedigree-based (FPED), marker-based using a genomic relationship matrix (FGRM), and segment-based using ROH (FROH). The average inbreeding coefficient ranged from 0.06 in Ayrshires and Brown Swiss to 0.08 in Jerseys and Holsteins using FPED, from 0.22 in Holsteins to 0.29 in Guernsey and Jerseys using FGRM, and from 0.11 in Ayrshires to 0.17 in Jerseys using FROH. In addition, the effective population size at past generations (5-100 generations ago), the yearly rate of inbreeding, and the effective population size in 3 recent periods (2000-2009, 2010-2014, and 2015-2018) were determined in each breed to ascertain current and historical trends of genetic diversity. We found a historical trend of decreasing effective population size in the last 100 generations in all breeds and breed differences in the effect of the recent implementation of genomic selection on inbreeding accumulation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Francesco Tiezzi
- Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry (DAGRI), University of Florence, 50144 Florence, Italy
| | - Jicai Jiang
- Department of Animal Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh 27607
| | | | - Paul M VanRaden
- Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory, Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Beltsville, MD 20705
| | - Christian Maltecca
- Department of Animal Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh 27607
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12
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Barden M, Li B, Griffiths BE, Anagnostopoulos A, Bedford C, Psifidi A, Banos G, Oikonomou G. Genetic parameters and genome-wide association study of digital cushion thickness in Holstein cows. J Dairy Sci 2022; 105:8237-8256. [PMID: 36028347 PMCID: PMC9511494 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2022-22035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The digital cushion is linked to the development of claw horn lesions (CHL) in dairy cattle. The objectives of this study were to (1) estimate genetic parameters for digital cushion thickness (DCT), (2) estimate the genetic correlation between DCT and CHL, and (3) identify candidate genes associated with DCT. A cohort of 2,352 Holstein dairy cows were prospectively enrolled on 4 farms and assessed at 4 time points: before calving, immediately after calving, in early lactation, and in late lactation. At each time point, CHL was recorded by veterinary surgeons, and ultrasonographic images of the digital cushion were stored and retrospectively measured at 2 anatomical locations. Animals were genotyped and pedigree details extracted from the national database. Genetic parameters were estimated following a single-step approach implemented in AIREMLF90. Four traits were analyzed: the 2 DCT measurements, sole lesions (sole hemorrhage and sole ulcers), and white line lesions. All traits were analyzed with univariate linear mixed models; bivariate models were fit to estimate the genetic correlation between traits within and between time points. Single-marker and window-based genome-wide association analyses of DCT traits were conducted at each time point; candidate genes were mapped near (<0.2 Mb) or within the genomic markers or windows with the largest effects. Heritability estimates of DCT ranged from 0.14 to 0.44 depending on the location of DCT measurement and assessment time point. The genetic correlation between DCT and sole lesions was generally negative, notably between DCT immediately after calving and sole lesions in early or late lactation, and between DCT in early or late lactation and sole lesion severity in early or late lactation. Digital cushion thickness was not genetically correlated with white line lesions. A polygenic background to DCT was found; genes associated with inflammation, fat metabolism, and bone development were mapped near or within the top markers and windows. The moderate heritability of DCT provides an opportunity to use selective breeding to change DCT in a population. The negative genetic correlation between DCT and sole lesions at different stages of production lends support to current hypotheses of sole lesion pathogenesis. Highlighted candidate genes provide information regarding the complex genetic background of DCT in Holstein cows, but further studies are needed to explore and corroborate these findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Barden
- Department of Livestock and One Health, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Liverpool, CH64 7TE, United Kingdom.
| | - Bingjie Li
- Animal & Veterinary Sciences, SRUC, Roslin Institute Building, Easter Bush, Midlothian, EH25 9RG, United Kingdom
| | - Bethany E Griffiths
- Department of Livestock and One Health, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Liverpool, CH64 7TE, United Kingdom
| | - Alkiviadis Anagnostopoulos
- Department of Livestock and One Health, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Liverpool, CH64 7TE, United Kingdom
| | - Cherry Bedford
- Department of Livestock and One Health, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Liverpool, CH64 7TE, United Kingdom
| | - Androniki Psifidi
- Department of Clinical Science and Services, Royal Veterinary College, North Mymms, Hertfordshire, AL9 7TA, United Kingdom
| | - Georgios Banos
- Animal & Veterinary Sciences, SRUC, Roslin Institute Building, Easter Bush, Midlothian, EH25 9RG, United Kingdom
| | - Georgios Oikonomou
- Department of Livestock and One Health, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Liverpool, CH64 7TE, United Kingdom
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Vanvanhossou SFU, Yin T, Scheper C, Fries R, Dossa LH, König S. Unraveling Admixture, Inbreeding, and Recent Selection Signatures in West African Indigenous Cattle Populations in Benin. Front Genet 2021; 12:657282. [PMID: 34956303 PMCID: PMC8694269 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.657282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The Dwarf Lagune and the Savannah Somba cattle in Benin are typical representatives of the endangered West African indigenous Shorthorn taurine. The Lagune was previously exported to African and European countries and bred as Dahomey cattle, whereas the Somba contributed to the formation of two indigenous hybrids known as Borgou and Pabli cattle. These breeds are affected by demographic, economic, and environmental pressures in local production systems. Considering current and historical genomic data, we applied a formal test of admixture, estimated admixture proportions, and computed genomic inbreeding coefficients to characterize the five breeds. Subsequently, we unraveled the most recent selection signatures using the cross-population extended haplotype homozygosity approach, based on the current and historical genotypes. Results from principal component analyses and high proportion of Lagune ancestry confirm the Lagune origin of the European Dahomey cattle. Moreover, the Dahomey cattle displayed neither indicine nor European taurine (EUT) background, but they shared on average 40% of autozygosity from common ancestors, dated approximately eight generations ago. The Lagune cattle presented inbreeding coefficients larger than 0.13; however, the Somba and the hybrids (Borgou and Pabli) were less inbred (≤0.08). We detected evidence of admixture in the Somba and Lagune cattle, but they exhibited a similar African taurine (AFT) ancestral proportion (≥96%) to historical populations, respectively. A moderate and stable AFT ancestral proportion (62%) was also inferred for less admixed hybrid cattle including the Pabli. In contrast, the current Borgou samples displayed a lower AFT ancestral proportion (47%) than historical samples (63%). Irrespective of the admixture proportions, the hybrid populations displayed more selection signatures related to economic traits (reproduction, growth, and milk) than the taurine. In contrast, the taurine, especially the Somba, presented several regions known to be associated with adaptive traits (immunity and feed efficiency). The identified subregion of bovine leukocyte antigen (BoLA) class IIb (including DSB and BOLA-DYA) in Somba cattle is interestingly uncommon in other African breeds, suggesting further investigations to understand its association with specific adaptation to endemic diseases in Benin. Overall, our study provides deeper insights into recent evolutionary processes in the Beninese indigenous cattle and their aptitude for conservation and genetic improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tong Yin
- Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Justus-Liebig-University Gießen, Gießen, Germany
| | - Carsten Scheper
- Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Justus-Liebig-University Gießen, Gießen, Germany
| | - Ruedi Fries
- Chair of Animal Breeding, Technische Universität München, Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany
| | - Luc Hippolyte Dossa
- School of Science and Technics of Animal Production, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi, Abomey-Calavi, Benin
| | - Sven König
- Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Justus-Liebig-University Gießen, Gießen, Germany
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14
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Pedrosa VB, Schenkel FS, Chen SY, Oliveira HR, Casey TM, Melka MG, Brito LF. Genomewide Association Analyses of Lactation Persistency and Milk Production Traits in Holstein Cattle Based on Imputed Whole-Genome Sequence Data. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12111830. [PMID: 34828436 PMCID: PMC8624223 DOI: 10.3390/genes12111830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2021] [Revised: 11/13/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Lactation persistency and milk production are among the most economically important traits in the dairy industry. In this study, we explored the association of over 6.1 million imputed whole-genome sequence variants with lactation persistency (LP), milk yield (MILK), fat yield (FAT), fat percentage (FAT%), protein yield (PROT), and protein percentage (PROT%) in North American Holstein cattle. We identified 49, 3991, 2607, 4459, 805, and 5519 SNPs significantly associated with LP, MILK, FAT, FAT%, PROT, and PROT%, respectively. Various known associations were confirmed while several novel candidate genes were also revealed, including ARHGAP35, NPAS1, TMEM160, ZC3H4, SAE1, ZMIZ1, PPIF, LDB2, ABI3, SERPINB6, and SERPINB9 for LP; NIM1K, ZNF131, GABRG1, GABRA2, DCHS1, and SPIDR for MILK; NR6A1, OLFML2A, EXT2, POLD1, GOT1, and ETV6 for FAT; DPP6, LRRC26, and the KCN gene family for FAT%; CDC14A, RTCA, HSTN, and ODAM for PROT; and HERC3, HERC5, LALBA, CCL28, and NEURL1 for PROT%. Most of these genes are involved in relevant gene ontology (GO) terms such as fatty acid homeostasis, transporter regulator activity, response to progesterone and estradiol, response to steroid hormones, and lactation. The significant genomic regions found contribute to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms related to LP and milk production in North American Holstein cattle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor B. Pedrosa
- Department of Animal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA; (V.B.P.); (S.-Y.C.); (H.R.O.); (T.M.C.)
- Department of Animal Sciences, State University of Ponta Grossa, Ponta Grossa 84030-900, Brazil
| | - Flavio S. Schenkel
- Centre for Genetic Improvement of Livestock, Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G2W1, Canada;
| | - Shi-Yi Chen
- Department of Animal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA; (V.B.P.); (S.-Y.C.); (H.R.O.); (T.M.C.)
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, College of Animal Science & Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Hinayah R. Oliveira
- Department of Animal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA; (V.B.P.); (S.-Y.C.); (H.R.O.); (T.M.C.)
- Centre for Genetic Improvement of Livestock, Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G2W1, Canada;
| | - Theresa M. Casey
- Department of Animal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA; (V.B.P.); (S.-Y.C.); (H.R.O.); (T.M.C.)
| | - Melkaye G. Melka
- Department of Animal and Food Science, University of Wisconsin River Falls, River Falls, WI 54022, USA;
| | - Luiz F. Brito
- Department of Animal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA; (V.B.P.); (S.-Y.C.); (H.R.O.); (T.M.C.)
- Correspondence:
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