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Klawatsch J, Papachristou D, Koutsouli P, Upadhyay M, Seichter D, Russ I, Mioč B, Simčič M, Bizelis I, Medugorac I. Genetic basis of ear length in sheep breeds sampled across the region from the Middle East to the Alps. Anim Genet 2024; 55:123-133. [PMID: 38069488 DOI: 10.1111/age.13387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/04/2024]
Abstract
Ear length in sheep (Ovis aries) shows a wide range of natural variation, from the absence of an outer ear structure (anotia), to small outer ears (microtia), to regular ear length. Up until now, the underlying genetics of this phenotype has been studied in four sheep breeds from China, Jordan and Italy. These studies revealed a broad range of genes significantly associated with ear length, potentially indicating genetic heterogeneity across breeds or geographic regions. In the current study, we performed genome-wide SNP genotyping and haplotype-based mapping, in a population of 340 individuals, to identify loci influencing ear length variation in additional sheep breeds from Slovenia, Croatia, Cyprus and Greece. Additionally, two previously described candidate variants were also genotyped in our mapping population. The mapping model without candidate variant genotypes revealed only one genome-wide significant signal, which was located next to HMX1 on OAR6. This region was previously described as being associated with ear length variation in the Altay and Awassi sheep breeds. The mapping model including the candidate duplication genotype near HMX1 as a fixed effect explained the phenotypic variance on OAR6 and revealed an additional genome-wide significant locus on OAR13 associated with ear length. Our results, combined with published evidence, suggest that a duplication in the evolutionarily conserved region near HMX1 is the major regulator of ear length in sheep breeds descended from a larger region from Central Asia, to the Middle East, Cyprus, Greece and to the Alps. This distribution suggests an ancient origin of the derived allele.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jürgen Klawatsch
- Population Genomics Group, Department of Veterinary Sciences, Ludwig Maximillians University Munich, Munich, Germany
- Tierzuchtforschung e.V. Munich, Grub, Germany
| | | | - Panagiota Koutsouli
- Department of Animal Science, Agricultural University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Maulik Upadhyay
- Population Genomics Group, Department of Veterinary Sciences, Ludwig Maximillians University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | | | - Ingolf Russ
- Tierzuchtforschung e.V. Munich, Grub, Germany
| | - Boro Mioč
- Department of Animal Science and Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Mojca Simčič
- Department of Animal Science, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Iosif Bizelis
- Department of Animal Science, Agricultural University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Ivica Medugorac
- Population Genomics Group, Department of Veterinary Sciences, Ludwig Maximillians University Munich, Munich, Germany
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2
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Adinata Y, Noor RR, Priyanto R, Cyrilla L, Sudrajad P. Morphometric and physical characteristics of Indonesian beef cattle. Arch Anim Breed 2023; 66:153-161. [PMID: 37359055 PMCID: PMC10288202 DOI: 10.5194/aab-66-153-2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
To assess their potential for beef production, this study describes the morphometrics, physical traits, and body weight of 1034 Indonesian beef cattle from eight breeds, namely Bali, Rambon, Madura, Ongole Grade, Kebumen Ongole Grade, Sasra, Jabres, and Pasundan. An analysis of variance in addition to cluster, Euclidean distance, dendrogram, discriminant function, stepwise linear regression, and morphological index analyses were performed to describe the differences in traits among breeds. The morphometric proximity analysis revealed two distinct clusters with a common ancestor, where the first cluster included Jabres, Pasundan, Rambon, Bali, and Madura cattle and the second included Ongole Grade, Kebumen Ongole Grade, and Sasra cattle, with an average suitability value of 93.20 %. This showed that the classification and validation methods can be used to distinguish breeds. The most important factor in estimating body weight was the heart girth circumference. Ongole Grade cattle had the highest cumulative index, followed by Sasra, Kebumen Ongole Grade, Rambon, and Bali cattle. A cumulative index value > 3 can be used as a threshold for determining the type and function of beef cattle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yudi Adinata
- Research Center for Animal Husbandry, Research Organization for
Agriculture and Food, National Research and Innovation Agency, Bogor 16911, Indonesia
- Faculty of Animal Science, IPB University, Bogor 16680, Indonesia
| | | | - Rudy Priyanto
- Faculty of Animal Science, IPB University, Bogor 16680, Indonesia
| | - Lucia Cyrilla
- Faculty of Animal Science, IPB University, Bogor 16680, Indonesia
| | - Pita Sudrajad
- Research Center for Animal Husbandry, Research Organization for
Agriculture and Food, National Research and Innovation Agency, Bogor 16911, Indonesia
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3
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Aldersey JE, Liu N, Tearle R, Low WY, Breen J, Williams JL, Bottema CDK. Topologically associating domains in the POLLED region are the same for Angus- and Brahman-specific Hi-C reads from F1 hybrid fetal tissue. Anim Genet 2023. [PMID: 36990727 DOI: 10.1111/age.13322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Revised: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
Horns, a form of headgear carried by Bovidae, have ethical and economic implications for ruminant production species such as cattle and goats. Hornless (polled) individuals are preferred. In cattle, four genetic variants (Celtic, Friesian, Mongolian and Guarani) are associated with the polled phenotype, which are clustered in a 300-kb region on chromosome 1. As the variants are intergenic, the functional effect is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine if the POLLED variants affect chromatin structure or disrupt enhancers using publicly available data. Topologically associating domains (TADs) were analyzed using Angus- and Brahman-specific Hi-C reads from lung tissue of an Angus (Celtic allele) cross Brahman (horned) fetus. Predicted bovine enhancers and chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing peaks for histone modifications associated with enhancers (H3K27ac and H3K4me1) were mapped to the POLLED region. TADs analyzed from Angus- and Brahman-specific Hi-C reads were the same, therefore, the Celtic variant does not appear to affect this level of chromatin structure. The Celtic variant is located in a different TAD from the Friesian, Mongolian, and Guarani variants. Predicted enhancers and histone modifications overlapped with the Guarani and Friesian variants but not the Celtic or Mongolian variants. This study provides insight into the mechanisms of the POLLED variants for disrupting horn development. These results should be validated using data produced from the horn bud region of horned and polled bovine fetuses.
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Affiliation(s)
- J E Aldersey
- Davies Livestock Research Centre, University of Adelaide, Roseworthy, South Australia, Australia
| | - N Liu
- South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
- Robinson Research Institute, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - R Tearle
- Davies Livestock Research Centre, University of Adelaide, Roseworthy, South Australia, Australia
- Alkahest Inc, San Carlos, California, USA
| | - W Y Low
- Davies Livestock Research Centre, University of Adelaide, Roseworthy, South Australia, Australia
| | - J Breen
- South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
- Robinson Research Institute, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
- Adelaide Medical School, Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - J L Williams
- Davies Livestock Research Centre, University of Adelaide, Roseworthy, South Australia, Australia
- Department of Animal Science, Food and Technology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Piacenza, Italy
| | - C D K Bottema
- Davies Livestock Research Centre, University of Adelaide, Roseworthy, South Australia, Australia
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4
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Dachs N, Upadhyay M, Hannemann E, Hauser A, Krebs S, Seichter D, Russ I, Gehrke LJ, Thaller G, Medugorac I. Quantitative trait locus for calving traits on Bos taurus autosome 18 in Holstein cattle is embedded in a complex genomic region. J Dairy Sci 2023; 106:1925-1941. [PMID: 36710189 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2021-21625] [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: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Although the quantitative trait locus (QTL) on chromosome 18 (BTA18) associated with paternal calving ease and stillbirth in Holstein Friesian cattle and its cross has been known for over 20 years, to our knowledge, the exact causal genetic sequence has yet escaped identification. The aim of this study was to re-examine the region of the published QTL on BTA18 and to investigate the possible reasons behind this elusiveness. For this purpose, we carried out a combined linkage disequilibrium and linkage analysis using genotyping data of 2,697 German Holstein Friesian (HF) animals and subsequent whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data analyses and genome assembly of HF samples. We confirmed the known QTL in the 95% confidence interval of 1.089 Mbp between 58.34 and 59.43 Mbp on BTA18. Additionally, these 4 SNPs in the near-perfect linkage disequilibrium with the QTL haplotype were identified: rs381577268 (on 57,816,137 bp, C/T), rs381878735 (on 59,574,329 bp, A/T), rs464221818 (on 59,329,176 bp, C/T), and rs472502785 (on 59,345,689 bp, T/C). Search for the causal mutation using short and long-read sequences, and methylation data of the BTA18 QTL region did not reveal any candidates though. The assembly showed problems in the region, as well as an abundance of segmental duplications within and around the region. Taking the QTL of BTA18 in Holstein cattle as an example, the data presented in this study comprehensively characterize the genomic features that could also be relevant for other such elusive QTL in various other cattle breeds and livestock species as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Dachs
- Population Genomics Group, Department of Veterinary Sciences, LMU Munich, Lena-Christ-Str. 48, 82152 Martinsried, Germany; Tierzuchtforschung e.V. München, Senator-Gerauer-Str, 23, 85586 Poing, Germany
| | - Maulik Upadhyay
- Population Genomics Group, Department of Veterinary Sciences, LMU Munich, Lena-Christ-Str. 48, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Elisabeth Hannemann
- Population Genomics Group, Department of Veterinary Sciences, LMU Munich, Lena-Christ-Str. 48, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Andreas Hauser
- Laboratory for Functional Genome Analysis (LAFUGA), Gene Center, LMU Munich, Feodor-Lynen-Straße 25, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Stefan Krebs
- Laboratory for Functional Genome Analysis (LAFUGA), Gene Center, LMU Munich, Feodor-Lynen-Straße 25, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Doris Seichter
- Tierzuchtforschung e.V. München, Senator-Gerauer-Str, 23, 85586 Poing, Germany
| | - Ingolf Russ
- Tierzuchtforschung e.V. München, Senator-Gerauer-Str, 23, 85586 Poing, Germany
| | - Lilian Johanna Gehrke
- Institute of Animal Breeding and Husbandry, Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Olshausenstraße 40, 24098 Kiel, Germany; Vereinigte Informationssysteme Tierhaltung w.V. (vit) Verden, Heinrich-Schröder-Weg 1, 27283 Verden (Aller), Germany
| | - Georg Thaller
- Institute of Animal Breeding and Husbandry, Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Olshausenstraße 40, 24098 Kiel, Germany
| | - Ivica Medugorac
- Population Genomics Group, Department of Veterinary Sciences, LMU Munich, Lena-Christ-Str. 48, 82152 Martinsried, Germany.
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Uncovering Novel Features of the Pc Locus in Horn Development from Gene-Edited Holstein Cattle by RNA-Sequencing Analysis. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232012060. [PMID: 36292916 PMCID: PMC9603690 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232012060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Revised: 10/01/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The Polled Celtic (Pc) mutation locus is a genetically simple single mutation that is the best choice for breeding polled cattle using gene editing. However, the mechanism of the Pc locus for regulating horn development is unclear, so we used gene editing, somatic cell nuclear transfer and embryo transfer to obtain polled Holstein fetal bovine (gestation time 90 days) with a homozygous Pc insertion (gene-edited Holstein fetal bovine, EH) and the wild-type 90 days Holstein fetal bovine (WH) as controls. The hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining results showed that, compared to the WH, the EH horn buds had no white keratinized projections or vacuolated keratinocytes and no thick nerve bundles under the dermal tissue. Furthermore, DNA sequencing results showed that the Pc locus was homozygously inserted into the fetal bovine genome. A total of 791 differentially expressed genes were identified by transcriptome sequencing analysis. Enrichment analysis and protein interaction analysis results of differentially expressed genes showed that abundant gene changes after Pc insertion were associated with the adhesion molecule regulation, actin expression, cytoskeletal deformation and keratin expression and keratinization. It was also noted that the results contained several genes that had been reported to be associated with the development of horn traits, such as RXFP2 and TWIST1. This study identified these changes for the first time and summarized them. The results suggested that the Pc mutant locus may inhibit neural crest cell EMT generation and keratin expression, leading to failures in neural crest cell migration and keratinization of the horn bud tissue, regulating the production of the polled phenotype.
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6
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Hennig SL, McNabb BR, Trott JF, Van Eenennaam AL, Murray JD. LincRNA#1 knockout alone does not affect polled phenotype in cattle heterozygous for the celtic POLLED allele. Sci Rep 2022; 12:7627. [PMID: 35538091 PMCID: PMC9090918 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-11669-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2021] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
A long intergenic non-coding RNA (lincRNA#1) is overexpressed in the horn bud region of polled (hornless) bovine fetuses, suggesting a potential role in horn bud suppression. Genome editing was used to test whether the absence of this sequence was associated with the horned phenotype. Two gRNAs with high mutation efficiencies targeting the 5' and the 3' regions flanking the lincRNA#1 sequence were co-injected with Cas9 as ribonucleoprotein complexes into bovine zygotes (n = 121) 6 h post insemination. Of the resulting blastocysts (n = 31), 84% had the expected 3.7 kb deletion; of these embryos with the 3.7 kb deletions, 88% were biallelic knockouts. Thirty-nine presumptive edited 7-day blastocysts were transferred to 13 synchronized recipient cows resulting in ten pregnancies, five with embryos heterozygous for the dominant PC POLLED allele at the POLLED locus, and five with the recessive pp genotype. Eight (80%) of the resulting fetuses were biallelic lincRNA#1 knockouts, with the remaining two being mosaic. RT-qPCR analysis was used to confirm the absence of lincRNA#1 expression in knockout fetuses. Phenotypic and histological analysis of the genotypically (PCp) POLLED, lincRNA#1 knockout fetuses revealed similar morphology to non-edited, control polled fetuses, indicating the absence of lincRNA#1 alone does not result in a horned phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sadie L Hennig
- Department of Animal Science, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Bret R McNabb
- Department of Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Josephine F Trott
- Department of Animal Science, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | | | - James D Murray
- Department of Animal Science, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA, USA. .,Department of Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA, USA.
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7
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Simon R, Drögemüller C, Lühken G. The Complex and Diverse Genetic Architecture of the Absence of Horns (Polledness) in Domestic Ruminants, including Goats and Sheep. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:genes13050832. [PMID: 35627216 PMCID: PMC9140736 DOI: 10.3390/genes13050832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Revised: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Horns are the most obvious common feature of Bovidae. The naturally occurring absence of horns in these species, also known as polledness, is of surprisingly heterogeneous nature, although they are Mendelian traits. This review compares in detail the molecular differences among the causes of inherited polledness in the domestic ruminant species of cattle, yak, sheep, and goat based on the causal gene variants that have been discovered in recent years. The genetic causes for the lack of horns in small ruminants seem not only to be more complex, e.g., in sheep, breed-specific characteristics are still unexplained, but in goats, there is also the associated disorder of intersexuality—polled intersex syndrome (PIS). In connection with animal welfare and the associated discussion about a legal ban on the dehorning of all farm animals, naturally hornless animals and the causal genetic variants are of increasing research interest in the age of genome editing. However, the low acceptance of genetic engineering in livestock, especially in European societies, limits its use in food-producing animals. Therefore, genotype-based targeted selection of naturally occurring variants is still a widely used method for spreading this desired trait within and across populations, at least in cattle and sheep.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Simon
- Institute for Animal Breeding and Genetics, Justus Liebig University Giessen, 35390 Giessen, Germany; (R.S.); (G.L.)
| | - Cord Drögemüller
- Institute of Genetics, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
- Correspondence:
| | - Gesine Lühken
- Institute for Animal Breeding and Genetics, Justus Liebig University Giessen, 35390 Giessen, Germany; (R.S.); (G.L.)
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8
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Stirm M, Fonteyne LM, Shashikadze B, Lindner M, Chirivi M, Lange A, Kaufhold C, Mayer C, Medugorac I, Kessler B, Kurome M, Zakhartchenko V, Hinrichs A, Kemter E, Krause S, Wanke R, Arnold GJ, Wess G, Nagashima H, de Angelis MH, Flenkenthaler F, Kobelke LA, Bearzi C, Rizzi R, Bähr A, Reese S, Matiasek K, Walter MC, Kupatt C, Ziegler S, Bartenstein P, Fröhlich T, Klymiuk N, Blutke A, Wolf E. A scalable, clinically severe pig model for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Dis Model Mech 2021; 14:273744. [PMID: 34796900 PMCID: PMC8688409 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.049285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Large animal models for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) are crucial for evaluation of diagnostic procedures and treatment strategies. Pigs cloned from male cells lacking DMD exon 52 (DMDΔ52) resemble molecular, clinical and pathological hallmarks of DMD, but die before sexual maturity and cannot be propagated by breeding. Therefore, we generated female DMD+/- carriers. A single founder animal had 11 litters with 29 DMDY/-, 34 DMD+/- as well as 36 male and 29 female wild-type offspring. Breeding with F1 and F2 DMD+/- carriers resulted in additional 114 DMDY/- piglets. With intensive neonatal management, the majority survived for 3-4 months, providing statistically relevant cohorts for experimental studies. Pathological investigations and proteome studies of skeletal muscles and myocardium confirmed the resemblance of human disease mechanisms. Importantly, DMDY/- pigs reveal progressive myocardial fibrosis and increased expression of connexin-43, associated with significantly reduced left ventricular ejection fraction already at age 3 months. Furthermore, behavioral tests provided evidence for impaired cognitive ability. Our breeding cohort of DMDΔ52 pigs and standardized tissue repositories provide important resources for studying DMD disease mechanisms and for testing novel treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Stirm
- Chair for Molecular Animal Breeding and Biotechnology, Gene Center and Department of Veterinary Sciences, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.,Center for Innovative Medical Models (CiMM), LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Lina Marie Fonteyne
- Chair for Molecular Animal Breeding and Biotechnology, Gene Center and Department of Veterinary Sciences, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.,Center for Innovative Medical Models (CiMM), LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Bachuki Shashikadze
- Laboratory for Functional Genome Analysis (LAFUGA), Gene Center, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Magdalena Lindner
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Maila Chirivi
- Fondazione Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare, Milan, Italy.,Department of Medical Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Latina, Italy
| | - Andreas Lange
- Chair for Molecular Animal Breeding and Biotechnology, Gene Center and Department of Veterinary Sciences, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.,Center for Innovative Medical Models (CiMM), LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Clara Kaufhold
- Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Center for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Christian Mayer
- Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Center for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Ivica Medugorac
- Population Genomics Group, Department of Veterinary Sciences, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Barbara Kessler
- Chair for Molecular Animal Breeding and Biotechnology, Gene Center and Department of Veterinary Sciences, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.,Center for Innovative Medical Models (CiMM), LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Mayuko Kurome
- Chair for Molecular Animal Breeding and Biotechnology, Gene Center and Department of Veterinary Sciences, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.,Center for Innovative Medical Models (CiMM), LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Valeri Zakhartchenko
- Chair for Molecular Animal Breeding and Biotechnology, Gene Center and Department of Veterinary Sciences, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.,Center for Innovative Medical Models (CiMM), LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Arne Hinrichs
- Chair for Molecular Animal Breeding and Biotechnology, Gene Center and Department of Veterinary Sciences, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.,Center for Innovative Medical Models (CiMM), LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Elisabeth Kemter
- Chair for Molecular Animal Breeding and Biotechnology, Gene Center and Department of Veterinary Sciences, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.,Center for Innovative Medical Models (CiMM), LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Sabine Krause
- Friedrich Baur Institute, Department of Neurology, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Rüdiger Wanke
- Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Center for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Georg J Arnold
- Laboratory for Functional Genome Analysis (LAFUGA), Gene Center, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Gerhard Wess
- Clinic of Small Animal Medicine, Center for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Hiroshi Nagashima
- Meiji University International Institute for Bio-Resource Research, Kawasaki, Japan
| | | | - Florian Flenkenthaler
- Laboratory for Functional Genome Analysis (LAFUGA), Gene Center, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Levin Arne Kobelke
- Laboratory for Functional Genome Analysis (LAFUGA), Gene Center, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Claudia Bearzi
- Fondazione Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare, Milan, Italy.,Institute of Genetic and Biomedical Research, UOS of Milan, National Research Council (IRGB-CNR), Milan, Italy
| | - Roberto Rizzi
- Fondazione Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare, Milan, Italy.,Institute for Biomedical Technologies, National Research Council (ITB-CNR), Segrate, Milan, Italy
| | - Andrea Bähr
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Innere Medizin I, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University Munich and German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Munich Heart Alliance, Munich, Germany
| | - Sven Reese
- Chair for Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Department of Veterinary Sciences, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Kaspar Matiasek
- Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Center for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Maggie C Walter
- Friedrich Baur Institute, Department of Neurology, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Christian Kupatt
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Innere Medizin I, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University Munich and German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Munich Heart Alliance, Munich, Germany
| | - Sibylle Ziegler
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Peter Bartenstein
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Thomas Fröhlich
- Laboratory for Functional Genome Analysis (LAFUGA), Gene Center, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Nikolai Klymiuk
- Chair for Molecular Animal Breeding and Biotechnology, Gene Center and Department of Veterinary Sciences, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.,Center for Innovative Medical Models (CiMM), LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Andreas Blutke
- Institute of Experimental Genetics, Helmholtz Zentrum Munich, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Eckhard Wolf
- Chair for Molecular Animal Breeding and Biotechnology, Gene Center and Department of Veterinary Sciences, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.,Center for Innovative Medical Models (CiMM), LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.,Laboratory for Functional Genome Analysis (LAFUGA), Gene Center, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
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9
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Scheper C, Emmerling R, Götz KU, König S. A variance component estimation approach to infer associations between Mendelian polledness and quantitative production and female fertility traits in German Simmental cattle. Genet Sel Evol 2021; 53:60. [PMID: 34261443 PMCID: PMC8278706 DOI: 10.1186/s12711-021-00652-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Managing beneficial Mendelian characteristics in dairy cattle breeding programs implies that the correlated genetic effects are considered to avoid possible adverse effects in selection processes. The Mendelian trait polledness in cattle is traditionally associated with the belief that the polled locus has unfavorable effects on breeding goal traits. This may be due to the inferior breeding values of former polled bulls and cows in cattle breeds, such as German Simmental, or to pleiotropic or linkage effects of the polled locus. METHODS We focused on a variance component estimation approach that uses a marker-based numerator relationship matrix reflecting gametic relationships at the polled locus to test for direct pleiotropic or linked quantitative trait loci (QTL) effects of the polled locus on relevant traits. We applied the approach to performance, health, and female fertility traits in German Simmental cattle. RESULTS Our results showed no evidence for any pleiotropic QTL effects of the polled locus on test-day production traits milk yield and fat percentage, on the mastitis indicator 'somatic cell score', and on several female fertility traits, i.e. 56 days non return rate, days open and days to first service. We detected a significant and unfavorable QTL effect accounting for 6.6% of the genetic variance for protein percentage only. CONCLUSIONS Pleiotropy does not explain the lower breeding values and phenotypic inferiority of polled German Simmental sires and cows relative to the horned population in the breed. Thus, intensified selection in the polled population will contribute to increased selection response in breeding goal traits and genetic merit and will narrow the deficit in breeding values for production traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carsten Scheper
- Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Justus-Liebig-University Gießen, 35390 Giessen, Germany
| | - Reiner Emmerling
- Bavarian State Research Center for Agriculture, Institute of Animal Breeding, Prof. Dürrwaechter‑Platz 1, 85586 Poing‑Grub, Germany
| | - Kay-Uwe Götz
- Bavarian State Research Center for Agriculture, Institute of Animal Breeding, Prof. Dürrwaechter‑Platz 1, 85586 Poing‑Grub, Germany
| | - Sven König
- Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Justus-Liebig-University Gießen, 35390 Giessen, Germany
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A de novo frameshift mutation in ZEB2 causes polledness, abnormal skull shape, small body stature and subfertility in Fleckvieh cattle. Sci Rep 2020; 10:17032. [PMID: 33046754 PMCID: PMC7550345 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-73807-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Polledness in cattle is an autosomal dominant trait. Previous studies have revealed allelic heterogeneity at the polled locus and four different variants were identified, all in intergenic regions. In this study, we report a case of polled bull (FV-Polled1) born to horned parents, indicating a de novo origin of this polled condition. Using 50K genotyping and whole genome sequencing data, we identified on chromosome 2 an 11-bp deletion (AC_000159.1:g.52364063_52364073del; Del11) in the second exon of ZEB2 gene as the causal mutation for this de novo polled condition. We predicted that the deletion would shorten the protein product of ZEB2 by almost 91%. Moreover, we showed that all animals carrying Del11 mutation displayed symptoms similar to Mowat-Wilson syndrome (MWS) in humans, which is also associated with genetic variations in ZEB2. The symptoms in cattle include delayed maturity, small body stature and abnormal shape of skull. This is the first report of a de novo dominant mutation affecting only ZEB2 and associated with a genetic absence of horns. Therefore our results demonstrate undoubtedly that ZEB2 plays an important role in the process of horn ontogenesis as well as in the regulation of overall development and growth of animals.
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