41 Awardee Talk: Synergistic Power of Genomic Selection, Assisted Reproductive Technologies, and Gene Editing to Drive Genetic Improvement of Cattle

Abstract

Abstract Genetic improvement of cattle around the globe has and will continue to be, an important driver of animal agriculture sustainability because the advances are permanent and cumulative. There are several reproductive and molecular biotechnologies that can be used in genetic improvement programs, and their outcomes are maximized when combined synergistically in a structured breeding program with a clear breeding objective. One of the most recently developed and increasingly popular tools, gene editing, allows animal breeders to precisely add, delete, or replace letters in the genetic code so as to influence a specific trait of interest (e.g., thermotolerance or disease resistance), in as little as one generation. Specifically, the ability to use gene editing to inactivate targeted gene function (i.e., knockout genes), knock-in genes, or achieve allele introgression in the absence of undesired linkage drag, offers promising opportunities to introduce useful genetic variation into cattle breeding programs. However, for gene editing to play an important role in genetic improvement, it must integrate smoothly into conventional cattle breeding programs to maintain or accelerate the rate of genetic gain. This presentation will first outline the current state of genomic selection and key reproductive biotechnologies (e.g., artificial insemination, embryo transfer, and ovum-pick up with in vitro embryo production) available for the accelerated genetic improvement of cattle, and then discuss potential strategies for effectively incorporating gene editing into cattle genetic improvement programs and methods for disseminating the improved traits in cattle populations. The approaches will vary depending on the region of the world and the cattle industry sector (i.e., dairy or beef), due to their differing population and management structures, in which these strategies are being deployed.