Epistasis between calpain 1 and its inhibitor calpastatin within breeds of cattle

The calpain gene family and its inhibitors have diverse effects, many related to protein turnover, which appear to affect a range of phenotypes such as diabetes, exercise-induced muscle injury, and pathological events associated with degenerative neural diseases in humans, fertility, longevity, and postmortem effects on meat tenderness in livestock species. The calpains are inhibited by calpastatin, which binds directly to calpain. Here we report the direct measurement of epistatic interactions of causative mutations for quantitative trait loci (QTL) at calpain 1 (CAPN1), located on chromosome 29, with causative mutations for QTL variation at calpastatin (CAST), located on chromosome 7, in cattle. First we identified potential causative mutations at CAST and then genotyped these along with putative causative mutations at CAPN1 in >1500 cattle of seven breeds. The maximum allele substitution effect on the phenotype of the CAPN1:c.947G>C single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was 0.14 sigma(p) (P = 0.0003) and of the CAST:c.155C>T SNP was also 0.14 sigma(p) (P = 0.0011) when measured across breeds. We found significant epistasis between SNPs at CAPN1 and CAST in both taurine and zebu derived breeds. There were more additive x dominance components of epistasis than additive x additive and dominance x dominance components combined. A minority of breed comparisons did not show epistasis, suggesting that genetic variation at other genes may influence the degree of epistasis found in this system.

A validated whole-genome association study of efficient food conversion in cattle

The genetic factors that contribute to efficient food conversion are largely unknown. Several physiological systems are likely to be important, including basal metabolic rate, the generation of ATP, the regulation of growth and development, and the homeostatic control of body mass. Using whole-genome association, we found that DNA variants in or near proteins contributing to the background use of energy of the cell were 10 times as common as those affecting appetite and body-mass homeostasis. In addition, there was a genic contribution from the extracellular matrix and tissue structure, suggesting a trade-off between efficiency and tissue construction. Nevertheless, the largest group consisted of those involved in gene regulation or control of the phenotype. We found that the distribution of micro-RNA motifs was significantly different for the genetic variants associated with residual feed intake than for the genetic variants in total, although the distribution of promoter sequence motifs was not different. This suggests that certain subsets of micro-RNA are more important for the regulation of this trait. Successful validation depended on the sign of the allelic association in different populations rather than on the strength of the initial association or its size of effect.

The strike rate index: a new index for journal quality based on journal size and the h-index of citations

Quantifying the impact of scientific research is almost always controversial, and there is a need for a uniform method that can be applied across all fields. Increasingly, however, the quantification has been summed up in the impact factor of the journal in which the work is published, which is known to show differences between fields. Here the h-index, a way to summarize an individual's highly cited work, was calculated for journals over a twenty year time span and compared to the size of the journal in four fields, Agriculture, Condensed Matter Physics, Genetics and Heredity and Mathematical Physics. There is a linear log-log relationship between the h-index and the size of the journal: the larger the journal, the more likely it is to have a high h-index. The four fields cannot be separated from each other suggesting that this relationship applies to all fields. A strike rate index (SRI) based on the log relationship of the h-index and the size of the journal shows a similar distribution in the four fields, with similar thresholds for quality, allowing journals across diverse fields to be compared to each other. The SRI explains more than four times the variation in citation counts compared to the impact factor.

The effect of genetic variation of the retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor C gene on fatness in cattle

Genotypes at the retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor C (RORC) gene were associated with fatness in 1750 cattle. Ten SNPs were genotyped in RORC and the adjacent gene leucine-rich repeat neuronal 6D (LRRN6D) to map the QTL, 7 of which are in a 4.2-kb sequence around the ligand-binding domain of the RORC gene. Of the 29 inferred haplotypes for these SNPs, 2 have a combined frequency of 54.6% while the top 5 haplotypes have a combined frequency of 85.3%. The average D' value of linkage disequilibrium was 0.92 although the average r2 was a low 0.18. The RORC:g.3290T>G SNP had the strongest association with marbling. The inferred haplotypes were significantly associated with marbling and the difference between the most divergent haplotypes was 0.35 sigma(p) of marbling and 0.28 sigma(p) of rump fat, explaining the previously reported QTL effect. cDNA for RORC were sequenced and 2 new alternative transcripts were found. Fetal tissue shows 40 times greater transcription of RORC than adult tissue. The highest expression in fetal tissue was found in liver and kidney, but in adults the longissimus muscle had the greatest expression of the tissues tested.

The growth hormone 1 GH1:c.457C>G mutation is associated with intramuscular and rump fat distribution in a large sample of Australian feedlot cattle

The GH1:c.457C>G exon 5 missense mutation in the bovine growth hormone 1 (GH1) gene that causes the replacement of leucine (L) with valine (V) was investigated in 1027 cattle with primarily Angus and Shorthorn breeding from Australian feedlots. The allele frequency of the GH1:c.457C allele was 0.77 in Angus and 0.76 in Shorthorn. The GH1:c.457C allele was associated with lower marbling (P = 0.0472), and the average effect of allele substitution was -0.22 of a phenotypic standard deviation. This allele was also associated with slightly higher rump fat (P = 0.0541) and the average effect of allele substitution was 0.11 SD. Marbling and rump fat were not strongly correlated (r = 0.097, P < 0.01) in this data set. This mutation had no significant effect on eye muscle area or hot dressed carcass weight (P > 0.1). Given these relationships, the differences between GH1 alleles could be the result of differential deposition of fat in fat depots.

Detecting quantitative trait loci affecting beef tenderness on bovine chromosome 7 near calpastatin and lysyl oxidase

From a study of 3 large half-sib families of cattle, we describe linkage between DNA polymorphisms on bovine chromosome 7 and meat tenderness. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) for Longissimus lumborum peak force (LLPF) and Semitendonosis adhesion (STADH) were located to this map of DNA markers, which includes the calpastatin (CAST) and lysyl oxidase (LOX) genes. The LLPF QTL has a maximum lodscore of 4.9 and allele substitution of approximately 0.80 of a phenotypic standard deviation, and the peak is located over the CAST gene. The STADH QTL has a maximum lodscore of 3.5 and an allele substitution of approximately 0.37 of a phenotypic standard deviation, and the peak is located over the LOX gene. This suggests 2 separate likelihood peaks on the chromosome. Further analyses of meat tenderness measures in the Longissimus lumborum, LLPF and LL compression (LLC), in which outlier individuals or kill groups are removed, demonstrate large shifts in the location of LLPF QTL, as well as confirming that there are indeed 2 QTL on bovine chromosome 7. We found that both QTL are reflected in both LLPF and LLC measurements, suggesting that both these components of tenderness, myofibrillar and connective tissue, are detected by both measurements in this muscle.

The transition from quantitative trait loci to diagnostic test in cattle and other livestock

The efficient identification of the genes that influence quantitative traits requires: large sample sizes; the analysis of large numbers of polymorphisms in and around genes or surrogates for these; repeated testing in independent samples; the realisation that the inheritance patterns of quantitative trait loci will show the full range of effects found for genes that affect discrete traits; and choosing the appropriate genetic structure of the sample and the kind of DNA polymorphism for the different stages in the identification of the quantitative trait loci. The choice of trait is critical to the successful production of diagnostic tests. Since this is the most important single factor affecting whether a test will be commercialised, not only due to the economic importance of the trait, but whether there are easy, alternative methods to improve the trait that are cheaper to implement than a DNA test.

The TG5 thyroglobulin gene test for a marbling quantitative trait loci evaluated in feedlot cattle

The TG5 (thyroglobulin 5′ leader sequence) single nucleotide polymorphism has been associated with marbling in cattle fed for periods longer than 250 days. To test whether the association could be detected in diverse cattle, fed for less than 250 days, and to measure the size of the effect, we sampled 1750 cattle from the AMH Toowoomba feedlot. These cattle were sampled on 28 separate days, over 9 months. Their marbling scores covered the complete range. We found that the TG5 single nucleotide polymorphism was associated with marbling scores (P<0.05) and estimated that TG5 genotypes explained 6.5% of the residual deviance for the marbling phenotype. We also found that the '3' allele was more frequent in animals with higher marbling scores. The consistency of the allelic association between studies and, in particular, the association found in diverse cattle, indicate that the TG5 polymorphism can be used as a breeding tool and possibly a feedlot entry tool. To estimate the size of the genetic region in which the marbling quantitative trait loci are located, we tested the nearby DNA markers CSSM66 and BMS1747. These do not show allelic associations to marbling. The consistency of the allelic association between studies, the lack of association to nearby DNA markers and the complementary information on gene action of genes near Thyroglobulin suggest that DNA sequence variations, in or near the Thyroglobulin gene sequence, are the likely causes for the marbling quantitative trait loci. Further studies of single nucleotide polymorphism in and near the Thyroglobulin DNA sequence should allow causal mutations for the effect to be identified.

Consensus and comprehensive linkage maps of bovine chromosome 24

This study describes development of a consensus genetic linkage map of bovine chromosome 24 (BTA24). Eight participating laboratories contributed data for 58 unique markers including a total of 25 409 meioses. Eighteen markers, which were typed in more than one reference population, were used as potential anchors to generate a consensus framework map. The framework map contained 16 loci ordered with odds greater than 1000:1 and spanned 79.3 cM. Remaining markers were included in a comprehensive map relative to these anchors. The resulting BTA24 comprehensive map was 98.3 cM in length. Average marker intervals were 6.1 and 2.5 cM for framework and comprehensive maps, respectively. Marker order was generally consistent with previously reported BTA24 linkage maps. Only one discrepancy was found when comparing the comprehensive map with the published USDA-MARC linkage map. Integration of genetic information from different maps provides a high-resolution BTA24 linkage map.

Mapping of 12 bovine ribosomal protein genes using a bovine radiation hybrid panel

Twelve bovine ribosomal protein genes, for which sequence data had been acquired from complementary deoxyribonucleic acid (cDNA) clones isolated from a cattle skin cDNA library, were mapped. As ribosomal protein genes are a group of highly conserved house keeping genes, specific primers were designed to span the intron-exon splice sites and to amplify intronic sequences, in order to obtain bovine-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products. Two of 12 ribosomal protein genes were genotyped in this way and the remaining 10 were mapped using additional primers designed from within the intron. Eleven previously unmapped ribosomal protein genes were localized and one previously reported ribosomal protein gene localization was confirmed. The 12 ribosomal protein genes mapped in this study are spread over 10 chromosomes, including the X chromosome. The locations show conservation of comparative map position in cattle and human.

The single strand conformational analysis of cattle and human single nucleotide polymorphisms may be biased towards specific sequence motifs that minimize local secondary structure of single strand DNA

Single strand conformational polymorphisms (SSCP) resulting from point mutations were found to be associated preferentially with two DNA sequence motifs. These motifs are (1) three or more of the same base but in which the polymorphism is not due to length variation and (2) a region of polypurine or polypyrimidine bases. These motifs were identified after SSCP alleles from cattle were sequenced. The sequence difference and flanking sequence for each single nucleotide polymorphism are shown. The motifs were also found in SSCP from humans chosen at random from the literature, in which the alleles had been sequenced. There is a low level of complementarity of adjacent bases in these motifs and they should represent regions of low secondary structure in the single stranded DNA. Regions of high secondary structure, such as palindromes, were found in the same sample to have allelic variation that was not detected by SSC analysis. These results give a rule of thumb for selecting the particular part of a DNA fragment to be selected for testing for polymorphisms, but this rule clashes with rules used to design primers to amplify sequences using the PCR, namely, minimise hydrogen bonding within and between primers and reduce self-complementarity.

Comprehensive linkage map of bovine chromosome 27

The results of genotypic data contributed to the International Society for Animal Genetics (ISAG) Bovine Chromosome 27 Workshop are presented. Eight laboratories contributed 23 261 informative meioses from 44 loci. Eighteen loci were typed by at least two laboratories and were used to construct a consensus linkage map. Twenty-one loci were subsequently incorporated into a comprehensive map. The sex-averaged consensus map covered 66.9 cM. The sex-averaged comprehensive map was 75.5 cM, while the female and male maps were 73.1 and 63.7 cM, respectively. Five loci were excluded from the analysis because of ambiguous position in the linkage group and a low LOD score (less than 2.0). Average distance between loci in the comprehensive map was 1.98 cM.

Quantitative and molecular genetic influences on properties of beef: a review

The scientific literature is reviewed to identify quantitative and molecular genetic influences on quantity and quality of beef. Genetic variation between breeds is of similar magnitude to genetic variation within breeds for many economically important traits. Differences between breeds are significant and large for most carcass and beef quality attributes, including beef tenderness, although differences for sensory juiciness and flavour are of little practical importance. For traits such as beef tenderness, between-breed differences may be more easily exploited than within-breed differences, because exceptional breeds are easier to identify than exceptional animals. Effects of heterosis on carcass and beef quality attributes are relatively small (3% or less), with most effects mediated through heterotic effects on weight. Carcass composition traits (e.g. carcass weight, fat thickness and marbling) are moderately to highly heritable. Most estimates of retail beef yield percentage are highly heritable, offering good potential for within-breed selection for the trait, although a moderate to strong antagonistic relationship exists between yield and marbling. This relationship needs to be considered in within-breed selection programs for yield percentage. Early estimates of heritability of objective measures of beef tenderness (Warner Bratzler shear force values) indicated tenderness was moderately to highly heritable. Recent estimates using larger numbers of carcasses and more discriminatory methods of analysis indicate that beef tenderness is lowly heritable in Bos taurus breeds and moderately heritable inBos indicus and Bos indicus-derived breeds. Within breeds, measures of 24-h calpastatin activity are genetically strongly correlated with shear force values but are more heritable. However, phenotypic correlations between shear force values and 24-h calpastatin activities are low. There are also inconsistencies in relationships between these measurements across breeds. Low correlations between tenderness in different muscles, low to moderate heritabilities and inconsistent variation within- and between-breeds for traits such as 24-h calpastatin activity suggest that genetic improvement in beef tenderness may be difficult. The possibility exists that significant mitochondrial genetic effects occur for some carcass and beef quality attributes. A major gene for muscular hypertrophy in cattle significantly affects carcass and beef quality characteristics. Genome-wide screening of DNA markers indicates a number of putative Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) associated with carcass and meat quality characteristics. Published data for these QTL are summarised. Strategies to combine quantitative and molecular genetic information to maximise genetic progress are discussed.

Consensus and comprehensive linkage maps of bovine chromosome 7

The objective of this project was to integrate the currently available linkage maps for bovine chromosome 7 (BTA7) by combining data sets from eight research groups. A total of 54 unique markers were typed in eight pedigrees. Multilocus linkage analysis with CRI-MAP produced a bovine chromosome 7 consensus framework map of 27 loci ordered with odds greater than 1000:1. Furthermore, we present a bovine chromosome 7 comprehensive map integrating 54 loci. The locus order is in general agreement with the recently published linkage maps except for one discrepancy. The order of loci BM9289, BMS713, and ILSTS001 was reversed in the consensus framework map relative to the published USDA-MARC bovine chromosome 7 linkage map.

Differences between the radiation hybrid and genetic linkage maps of bovine chromosome 5 resolved with a quasi-phylogenetic method of analysis

Two major differences were detected in gene order between the radiation hybrid map and the genetic linkage map of bovine Chromosome (Chr) 5, and these were resolved by analyzing the raw radiation hybrid data by a quasi-phylogenetic method. Seventeen loci were typed on the new cattle whole genome radiation hybrid panel. Most of these loci are framework loci and include AGLA293, BM315, BM6026, BP1, BZRP, CD9, CSSM22, CSSM34, CYP2D@, ETH2, ETH10, ETH152, IGF1, LALBA, SLC2A3, SYT1, and TPI1. BP1 was found to be closer to the centromere than either BM6026 or SYT1 with two standard computer software packages for analyzing radiation hybrid panel data. This is inconsistent with any of the genetic linkage maps as well as their consensus. CYP2D@ was placed between ETH2 and BZRP, and this is also inconsistent with the genetic linkage maps, since CYP2D@ should be the most telomeric of the loci tested in this study. Resolution was reached by analyzing the raw radiation hybrid data for clones that bind some but not all of the loci, and the binding pattern was more consistent with the linkage maps and less consistent with the software-generated radiation hybrid map. The comparative mapping data confirm the relative inversion of gene order of SYT1 compared with humans and mice. A non-polymorphic fragment for CD9 indicates the conservation of gene order for three loci located on human Chr 12p. The genes of bovine Chr 5 conserved on human Chr 12p are located separately from the genes conserved on human Chr 12q. It is recommended that the raw data for radiation hybrid maps be made publicly available so that conflicts in gene order can be evaluated explicity.

Mapping of 16 ESTs expressed in the bovine mammary gland during lactation

A bovine mammary gland cDNA-library was used to characterize and map genes expressed during lactation. Fifty cDNA clones selected by differential hybridization were sequenced from both ends, and sequences were examined for similarities with database sequences. For 34 of the transcripts, the sequences showed more than 80% similarity to previously characterized genes or expressed sequence tags (ESTs). Twenty cDNAs that could be of interest as candidate genes for milk production are selected for genetic or chromosomal mapping. Twenty-three out of the 39 designed primer pairs representing 16 cDNA clones amplified the expected fragments and were used for subsequent fluorescent single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis (F-SSCP) in the International Bovine Reference Panel families (IBRP). Ten polymorphic loci could be identified and used to genotype the IBRP animals, and nine of them were subsequently genetically mapped on nine chromosomes. In addition, eight loci from the 16 cDNA clones could be mapped by somatic cell hybrids, bringing the total number of mapped genes to 16, one of which was mapped genetically as well as physically. The mapped mammary gland ESTs are potentially useful for cloning economic trait loci by a positional candidate gene cloning approach.

Bovine chromosome 4 workshop: consensus and comprehensive linkage maps

The report of the bovine chromosome 4 (BTA4) workshop is presented. Six laboratories contributed a total of 30,168 informative meioses from 62 loci. Twenty-two loci were typed by at least two independent laboratories and were used to construct a consensus linkage map of BTA4. The remaining 40 loci were subsequently incorporated into a comprehensive map. The sex-averaged consensus map covered 131.4 cM. The female map was 124.3 cM in length, while the male map was 134.3 cM. The comprehensive sex-averaged map spanned 141.6 cM. The length of the female and male comprehensive maps were 123.1 cM and 156.4 cM, respectively. Average genetic distance between loci was 6 and 2.3 cM for the consensus and comprehensive linkage maps, respectively.

Comparative mapping of genes from human chromosome 12 by genetic linkage mapping in cattle

Loci from human chromosome 12 were mapped in cattle to compare the gene order between species. Polymorphisms were detected in cattle in six loci that had been mapped with high precision in humans. Four of these loci, LALBA, SLC2A3, SYT1, and TPI1, mapped to bovine chromosome 5, and one, PLA2G1B, mapped to bovine chromosome 17. The sixth locus, SLC2A3L, due to a fragment produced by the SLC2A3 primers, maps to the telomeric region of BTA18. The differences in gene order between human chromosome 12 and cattle chromosome 5, when these loci are added to others already mapped in cattle, show evidence of significant rearrangement in gene order requiring several evolutionary events. There is also evidence in cattle chromosome 5 of the interspersal of material conserved on human chromosome 22 into the material conserved on human chromosome 12, consistent with ZOOFISH analyses. This analysis indicates that the larger block near the centromere is conserved on the long arm of human chromosome 12 and the smaller block near the telomere is conserved as part of the short arm of human chromosome 12. The level of variation detected in the amplified cattle DNA was approximately 1 variant per 464 nucleotides of haploid DNA using single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis. This corresponds to a per individual level of 1 variant per 1, 961 nucleotides of haploid DNA. This confirms lower genetic variability in cattle compared to humans but indicates the potential for millions of single nucleotide polymorphisms in cattle.