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Colombi D, Rovelli G, Luigi-Sierra MG, Ceccobelli S, Guan D, Perini F, Sbarra F, Quaglia A, Sarti FM, Pasquini M, Amills M, Lasagna E. Population structure and identification of genomic regions associated with productive traits in five Italian beef cattle breeds. Sci Rep 2024; 14:8529. [PMID: 38609445 PMCID: PMC11014930 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-59269-z] [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: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Italy has a long history in beef production, with local breeds such as Marchigiana, Chianina, Romagnola, Maremmana, and Podolica which produce high-quality meat. Selection has improved meat production, precocity, growth ability and muscle development, but the genetic determinism of such traits is mostly unknown. Using 33K SNPs-data from young bulls (N = 4064) belonging to these five Italian breeds, we demonstrated that the Maremmana and Podolica rustic breeds are closely related, while the specialised Marchigiana, Chianina, and Romagnola breeds are more differentiated. A genome-wide association study for growth and muscle development traits (average daily gain during the performance test, weight at 1 year old, muscularity) was conducted in the five Italian breeds. Results indicated a region on chromosome 2, containing the myostatin gene (MSTN), which displayed significant genome-wide associations with muscularity in Marchigiana cattle, a breed in which the muscle hypertrophy phenotype is segregating. Moreover, a significant SNP on chromosome 14 was associated, in the Chianina breed, to muscularity. The identification of diverse genomic regions associated with conformation traits might increase our knowledge about the genomic basis of such traits in Italian beef cattle and, eventually, such information could be used to implement marker-assisted selection of young bulls tested in the performance test.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniele Colombi
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences (DSA3), University of Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno 74, 06121, Perugia, Italy
| | - Giacomo Rovelli
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences (DSA3), University of Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno 74, 06121, Perugia, Italy
- Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Campus Universitat Autonòma de Barcelona, Carrer de la Vall Moronta, 08193, Bellaterra de Cerdanyola del Vallés, Spain
| | - Maria Gracia Luigi-Sierra
- Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Campus Universitat Autonòma de Barcelona, Carrer de la Vall Moronta, 08193, Bellaterra de Cerdanyola del Vallés, Spain
| | - Simone Ceccobelli
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences (D3A), Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60131, Ancona, Italy
| | - Dailu Guan
- Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Campus Universitat Autonòma de Barcelona, Carrer de la Vall Moronta, 08193, Bellaterra de Cerdanyola del Vallés, Spain
- Department of Animal Science, University of California, Davis, CA, 2251, USA
| | - Francesco Perini
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, 35020, Legnaro, Italy
| | - Fiorella Sbarra
- National Association of Italian Beef-Cattle Breeders (ANABIC), 06132, San Martino in Colle, Perugia, Italy
| | - Andrea Quaglia
- National Association of Italian Beef-Cattle Breeders (ANABIC), 06132, San Martino in Colle, Perugia, Italy
| | - Francesca Maria Sarti
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences (DSA3), University of Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno 74, 06121, Perugia, Italy
| | - Marina Pasquini
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences (D3A), Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60131, Ancona, Italy
| | - Marcel Amills
- Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Campus Universitat Autonòma de Barcelona, Carrer de la Vall Moronta, 08193, Bellaterra de Cerdanyola del Vallés, Spain.
- Department of Animal and Food Science, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain.
| | - Emiliano Lasagna
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences (DSA3), University of Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno 74, 06121, Perugia, Italy.
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Martínez-Álvaro M, Mattock J, González-Recio Ó, Saborío-Montero A, Weng Z, Lima J, Duthie CA, Dewhurst R, Cleveland MA, Watson M, Roehe R. Including microbiome information in a multi-trait genomic evaluation: a case study on longitudinal growth performance in beef cattle. Genet Sel Evol 2024; 56:19. [PMID: 38491422 PMCID: PMC10943865 DOI: 10.1186/s12711-024-00887-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Growth rate is an important component of feed conversion efficiency in cattle and varies across the different stages of the finishing period. The metabolic effect of the rumen microbiome is essential for cattle growth, and investigating the genomic and microbial factors that underlie this temporal variation can help maximize feed conversion efficiency at each growth stage. RESULTS By analysing longitudinal body weights during the finishing period and genomic and metagenomic data from 359 beef cattle, our study demonstrates that the influence of the host genome on the functional rumen microbiome contributes to the temporal variation in average daily gain (ADG) in different months (ADG1, ADG2, ADG3, ADG4). Five hundred and thirty-three additive log-ratio transformed microbial genes (alr-MG) had non-zero genomic correlations (rg) with at least one ADG-trait (ranging from |0.21| to |0.42|). Only a few alr-MG correlated with more than one ADG-trait, which suggests that a differential host-microbiome determinism underlies ADG at different stages. These alr-MG were involved in ribosomal biosynthesis, energy processes, sulphur and aminoacid metabolism and transport, or lipopolysaccharide signalling, among others. We selected two alternative subsets of 32 alr-MG that had a non-uniform or a uniform rg sign with all the ADG-traits, regardless of the rg magnitude, and used them to develop a microbiome-driven breeding strategy based on alr-MG only, or combined with ADG-traits, which was aimed at shaping the rumen microbiome towards increased ADG at all finishing stages. Combining alr-MG information with ADG records increased prediction accuracy of genomic estimated breeding values (GEBV) by 11 to 22% relative to the direct breeding strategy (using ADG-traits only), whereas using microbiome information, only, achieved lower accuracies (from 7 to 41%). Predicted selection responses varied consistently with accuracies. Restricting alr-MG based on their rg sign (uniform subset) did not yield a gain in the predicted response compared to the non-uniform subset, which is explained by the absence of alr-MG showing non-zero rg at least with more than one of the ADG-traits. CONCLUSIONS Our work sheds light on the role of the microbial metabolism in the growth trajectory of beef cattle at the genomic level and provides insights into the potential benefits of using microbiome information in future genomic breeding programs to accurately estimate GEBV and increase ADG at each finishing stage in beef cattle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Martínez-Álvaro
- Institute of Animal Science and Technology, Universitat Politècnica de Valéncia, 46022, Valencia, Spain.
- Scotland's Rural College, Easter Bush, Edinburgh, EH25 9RG, UK.
| | | | | | - Alejandro Saborío-Montero
- Escuela de Zootecnia y Centro de Investigación en Nutrición Animal, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, 11501, Costa Rica
| | | | - Joana Lima
- Scotland's Rural College, Easter Bush, Edinburgh, EH25 9RG, UK
| | | | | | | | - Mick Watson
- Scotland's Rural College, Easter Bush, Edinburgh, EH25 9RG, UK
| | - Rainer Roehe
- Scotland's Rural College, Easter Bush, Edinburgh, EH25 9RG, UK.
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Rajawat D, Panigrahi M, Nayak SS, Ghildiyal K, Sharma A, Kumar H, Parida S, Bhushan B, Gaur GK, Mishra BP, Dutt T. Uncovering genes underlying coat color variation in indigenous cattle breeds through genome-wide positive selection. Anim Biotechnol 2023; 34:3920-3933. [PMID: 37493405 DOI: 10.1080/10495398.2023.2240387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/27/2023]
Abstract
The identification of candidate genes related to pigmentation and under selective sweep provides insights into the genetic basis of pigmentation and the evolutionary forces that have shaped this variation. The selective sweep events in the genes responsible for normal coat color in Indian cattle groups are still unknown. To find coat color genes displaying signs of selective sweeps in the indigenous cattle, we compiled a list of candidate genes previously investigated for their association with coat color and pigmentation. After that, we performed a genome-wide scan of positive selection signatures using the BovineSNP50K Bead Chip in 187 individuals of seven indigenous breeds. We applied a wide range of methods to find evidence of selection, such as Tajima's D, CLR, iHS, varLD, ROH, and FST. We found a total of sixteen genes under selective sweep, that were involved in coat color and pigmentation physiology. These genes are CRIM1 in Gir, MC1R in Sahiwal, MYO5A, PMEL and POMC in Tharparkar, TYRP1, ERBB2, and ASIP in Red Sindhi, MITF, LOC789175, PAX3 and TYR in Ongole, and IRF2, SDR165 and, KIT in Nelore, ADAMTS19 in Hariana. These genes are related to melanin synthesis, the biology of melanocytes and melanosomes, and the migration and survival of melanocytes during development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Divya Rajawat
- Division of Animal Genetics, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, India
| | - Manjit Panigrahi
- 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
| | - Kanika Ghildiyal
- Division of Animal Genetics, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, India
| | - Anurodh Sharma
- Division of Animal Genetics, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, India
| | - Harshit Kumar
- Division of Animal Genetics, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, India
| | - Subhashree Parida
- Pharmacology and Toxicology Division, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, India
| | - Bharat Bhushan
- Division of Animal Genetics, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, India
| | - G K Gaur
- Division of Animal Genetics, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, India
| | - B P Mishra
- Animal Biotechnology Division, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, India
| | - Triveni Dutt
- Livestock Production and Management Section, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, India
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Baba T, Morota G, Kawakami J, Gotoh Y, Oka T, Masuda Y, Brito LF, Cockrum RR, Kawahara T. Longitudinal genome-wide association analysis using a single-step random regression model for height in Japanese Holstein cattle. JDS COMMUNICATIONS 2023; 4:363-368. [PMID: 37727246 PMCID: PMC10505781 DOI: 10.3168/jdsc.2022-0347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023]
Abstract
Growth traits, such as body weight and height, are essential in the design of genetic improvement programs of dairy cattle due to their relationship with feeding efficiency, longevity, and health. We investigated genomic regions influencing height across growth stages in Japanese Holstein cattle using a single-step random regression model. We used 72,921 records from birth to 60 mo of age with 4,111 animals born between 2000 and 2016. The analysis included 1,410 genotyped animals with 35,319 single nucleotide polymorphisms, consisting of 883 females with records and 527 bulls, and 30,745 animals with pedigree information. A single genomic region at the 58.4 megabase pair on chromosome 18 was consistently identified across 6 age points of 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 mo after multiple testing corrections for the significance threshold. Twelve candidate genes, previously reported for longevity and gestation length, were found near the identified genomic region. Another location near the identified region was also previously associated with body conformation, fertility, and calving difficulty. Functional Gene Ontology enrichment analysis suggested that the candidate genes regulate dephosphorylation and phosphatase activity. Our findings show that further study of the identified candidate genes will contribute to a better understanding of the genetic basis of height in Japanese Holstein cattle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toshimi Baba
- Holstein Cattle Association of Japan, Hokkaido Branch, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan 001-8555
- School of Animal Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061
| | - Gota Morota
- School of Animal Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061
| | - Junpei Kawakami
- Holstein Cattle Association of Japan, Hokkaido Branch, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan 001-8555
| | - Yusaku Gotoh
- Holstein Cattle Association of Japan, Hokkaido Branch, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan 001-8555
| | - Taro Oka
- Holstein Cattle Association of Japan, Tokyo, Japan 164-0012
| | - Yutaka Masuda
- Department of Sustainable Agriculture, Rakuno Gakuen University, Ebetsu, Hokkaido, Japan 069-8501
| | - Luiz F. Brito
- Department of Animal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907
| | - Rebbeca R. Cockrum
- School of Animal Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061
| | - Takayoshi Kawahara
- Holstein Cattle Association of Japan, Hokkaido Branch, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan 001-8555
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Jiménez JM, Morales RM, Menéndez-Buxadera A, Demyda-Peyrás S, Laseca N, Molina A. Estimation of the Genetic Components of (Co)variance and Preliminary Genome-Wide Association Study for Reproductive Efficiency in Retinta Beef Cattle. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13030501. [PMID: 36766391 PMCID: PMC9913610 DOI: 10.3390/ani13030501] [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: 12/15/2022] [Revised: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
In this study, we analyzed the variation of reproductive efficiency, estimated as the deviation between the optimal and real parity number of females at each stage of the cow's life, in 12,554 cows belonging to the Retinta Spanish cattle breed, using classical repeatability and random regression models. The results of the analyses using repeatability model and the random regression model suggest that reproductive efficiency is not homogeneous throughout the cow's life. The h2 estimate for this model was 0.30, while for the random regression model it increased across the parities, from 0.24 at the first calving to 0.51 at calving number 9. Additionally, we performed a preliminary genome-wide association study for this trait in a population of 252 Retinta cows genotyped using the Axiom Bovine Genotyping v3 Array. The results showed 5 SNPs significantly associated with reproductive efficiency, located in two genomic regions (BTA4 and BTA28). The functional analysis revealed the presence of 5 candidate genes located within these regions, which were previously involved in different aspects related to fertility in cattle and mice models. This new information could give us a better understanding of the genetic architecture of reproductive traits in this species, as well as allow us to accurately select more fertile cows.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rosa María Morales
- Department of Genetics, Veterinary School, Campus de Rabanales, University of Córdoba, Edificio Gregor Mendel, Ctra. Madrid-Cádiz, km 396, 14014 Córdoba, Spain
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +34-957-21-10-70
| | - Alberto Menéndez-Buxadera
- Department of Genetics, Veterinary School, Campus de Rabanales, University of Córdoba, Edificio Gregor Mendel, Ctra. Madrid-Cádiz, km 396, 14014 Córdoba, Spain
| | - Sebastián Demyda-Peyrás
- Departamento de Producción Animal, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata 1900, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), La Plata 1900, Argentina
| | - Nora Laseca
- Department of Genetics, Veterinary School, Campus de Rabanales, University of Córdoba, Edificio Gregor Mendel, Ctra. Madrid-Cádiz, km 396, 14014 Córdoba, Spain
| | - Antonio Molina
- Department of Genetics, Veterinary School, Campus de Rabanales, University of Córdoba, Edificio Gregor Mendel, Ctra. Madrid-Cádiz, km 396, 14014 Córdoba, Spain
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Genome-Wide Association Study of Body Weight Trait in Yaks. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12141855. [PMID: 35883402 PMCID: PMC9311934 DOI: 10.3390/ani12141855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2022] [Revised: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The yak is the largest meat-producing mammal around the Tibetan Plateau, and it plays an important role in the economic development and maintenance of the ecological environment throughout much of the Asian highlands. Understanding the genetic components of body weight is key for future improvement in yak breeding; therefore, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were performed, and the results were used to mine plant and animal genetic resources. We conducted whole genome sequencing on 406 Maiwa yaks at 10 × coverage. Using a multiple loci mixed linear model (MLMM), fixed and random model circulating probability unification (FarmCPU), and Bayesian-information and linkage-disequilibrium iteratively nested keyway (BLINK), we found that a total of 25,000 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were distributed across chromosomes, and seven markers were identified as significantly (p-values < 3.91 × 10−7) associated with the body weight trait,. Several candidate genes, including MFSD4, LRRC37B, and NCAM2, were identified. This research will help us achieve a better understanding of the genotype−phenotype relationship for body weight.
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Identification of Candidate Genes Regulating Carcass Depth and Hind Leg Circumference in Simmental Beef Cattle Using Illumina Bovine Beadchip and Next-Generation Sequencing Analyses. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12091103. [PMID: 35565529 PMCID: PMC9102740 DOI: 10.3390/ani12091103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2022] [Revised: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Genome-wide association studies are a robust means of identifying candidate genes that regulate economically important traits in farm animals. The aim of this study is to identify single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and candidate genes potentially related to carcass depth and hind leg circumference in Simmental beef cattle. We performed Illumina Bovine HD Beadchip (~670 k SNPs) and next-generation sequencing (~12 million imputed SNPs) analyses of data from 1252 beef cattle, to which we applied a linear mixed model. Using a statistical threshold (p = 0.05/number of SNPs identified) and adopting a false discovery rate (FDR), we identified many putative SNPs on different bovine chromosomes. We identified 12 candidate genes potentially annotated with the markers identified, including CDKAL1 and E2F3, related to myogenesis and skeletal muscle development. The identification of such genes in Simmental beef cattle will help breeders to understand and improve related traits, such as meat yield.
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