Production Traits In Cattle Research Articles

Effect of polymorphism in the 5’ promoter region of the TG gene on the milk production traits of Polish Holstein-Friesian cattle

The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between the occurrence of three different point mutations (257C>T, 335A>G and 422 C>T) in the promoter region of the gene encoding thyroglobulin (causing polymorphism) and the milk production traits of cattle. The research was conducted on a herd of Polish Holstein-Friesian cows. Genotypes were determined by PCR and its ACRS modification. The frequency of more common alleles for the point mutations was determined: C ‒ 0.830 (257C>T), A ‒ 0.765 (335A>G), and C ‒ 0.635 (422C>T). The statistical analysis showed that all three point mutations in the promoter region of the TG gene significantly (P ≤ 0.05; P ≤ 0.01) affect the analysed milk production traits, i.e. daily milk yield, content of milk fat and protein, and somatic cell count.

DGAT1 K232A polymorphism is associated with milk production traits in Chinese cattle

The production traits of cattle, especially milk trait, are of great significance to human life. A quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with milk fat content was detected in the centromeric region of cattle chromosome 14. This QTL harbors a strong candidate gene called DGAT1 responsible for the milk quality. A non-conservative substitution of lysine by alanine (K232A) was found in DGAT1 gene producing a strong effect on milk composition and yield. The lysine (K allele) is associated with increased milk fat content, while the decreased milk fat content is linked to the alanine (A allele) amino acid. To estimate the frequencies of the DGAT1 K232A polymorphism in Chinese cattle breeds, PCR and DNA sequencing methods were used to investigate the polymorphism of DGAT1 K232A in a total of 682 individuals, including 655 Chinese cattle and 27 Holstein cattle. The results demonstrated that the frequency of K allele gradually elevated from the northern group to the southern group of native Chinese cattle, whereas the frequency of A allele showed a contrary pattern, displaying a significant geographical difference across native Chinese cattle breeds. Our results confirm that the southern cattle group has higher milk fat content than that of the northern group.

Correlations between circulating leptin concentrations and growth performance, carcass traits, and meat quality indexes in finishing Simmental×Luxi bulls fed high-concentrate diets.

Circulating leptin concentrations could potentially be used as a predictor of production traits in cattle. This study aimed to clarify the correlations between circulating leptin concentrations and growth performance, carcass traits, and meat quality indexes in finishing bulls fed high-concentrate diets (concentrate-to-forage ratio 70:30). Fifty-seven Simmental×Luxi F1 crossbred bulls were used for 112-day finishing experiment. Circulating leptin concentrations and relevant indexes of growth performance, and carcass traits and meat quality were measured during or after finishing trail. The results indicated that the leptin concentrations tended to be negatively correlated with dry matter intake (DMI) (r = -.233, p=.081), and were positively correlated with 12th-rib fat thickness (r=.330, p=.012), marbling score (r=.336, p=.011), and intramuscular fat content (r=.368, p=.021). Moreover, the leptin concentrations were negatively correlated with cholesterol content (r = -.339, p=.037) and were not correlated with sensory indexes including tenderness, juiciness, and like flavor (p>.05). In conclusion, circulating leptin concentrations may potentially be used as a predictor of carcass traits related to content of fat and beef quality traits related to content of cholesterol in finishing bulls fed high-concentrate diets.

Correlations between circulating ghrelin concentrations and growth performance, carcass traits, meat quality indices in finishing bulls fed high-concentrate diets

Circulating ghrelin concentrations could potentially be used as a predictor of production traits in cattle. This study aimed to clarify the correlations between circulating total ghrelin concentrations and growth performance, carcass traits, meat quality indices in finishing bulls fed high-concentrate diets. Fifty-seven Simmental × Luxi F1 crossbred bulls (approximately 24 month of age, mean body weight ± SD: 514 ± 27 kg) were used for 112-days finishing experiment. Circulating total ghrelin concentrations and relevant indices of growth performance, carcass traits and meat quality were measured during or after finishing trial. The results indicated that the total ghrelin concentrations were positively correlated with dry matter intake (DMI) (r = 0.278, P = 0.046) and were not correlated to other growth indices including initial body weight (BW), final body weight, average daily gain (ADG) and feed efficiency (feed : gain) (P > 0.05). The total ghrelin concentrations were positively correlated with meat-bone ratio (r = 0.269, P = 0.045) and tended to be positively correlated to highrib weight (r = 0.234, P = 0.083). Moreover, total ghrelin concentrations were not correlated to other carcass traits indices such as hot carcass weight, dressing percentage, Longissimus dorsi muscle (LM) area and 12th rib fat thickness (P > 0.05). Total ghrelin concentrations tended to be negatively correlated to the shear force of beef (r = - 0.299, P = 0.064), and were not correlated to other meat quality indices such as moisture, pH, drip loss, cooking loss, meat color conventional chemical composition and fatty acid composition (P > 0.05). In conclusion, circulating total ghrelin concentrations were associated with DMI, meat-bone ratio and beef tenderness in finishing bulls fed high concentrated diet, and it could be used as a potential biomarker for evaluation of animal production traits such as DMI and beef tenderness in finishing bulls fed high concentrate diets.

The role of economically important traits for genetic improvement and climate change adaptation in livestock production: A review

Breeding indices include economically important traits associated with high yield, thermal tolerance, low quality feed and disease resistance, and give more consideration of genotype-by-environment interactions to identify stress adapted animals The objective of this paper was to quantify the role of economically important traits for genetic improvement and climate change adapted livestock production. Climate change adaptation genes exist at Protein, the genome (DNA), the transcriptome (RNA), the proteome, Amino-Acid (AA) level .Genotypes that affect milk production traits could be used as genetic markers in marker-assisted breeding. Genes with large effects show part of the genetic differences between animals, and identifying these genes can help to estimate more accurate breeding. For example, polymorphisms in DGAT1, GH and GHR genes have significant effects on reproduction and production traits. The variation in the bovine FABP4 gene also affects milk yield and milk protein content. Growth hormone receptor (GHR), IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 genes regulate postnatal somatic growth and stimulate anabolic processes and showed genetic polymorphisms and associated with production traits in cattle, goats and chickens. In beef cattle, the genes related to economically important traits are peroxisome proliferation activator-y (ppar-y), sterol regulatory element binding protein 1(srebp-1), leptin, stearoyl-coa desaturase (scd1), and thyroid hormone releasing protein. These genes help in lipid and glucose metabolism and in energy homeostasis by promoting glycolsis, lipogenesis and adipo-genesis as well as in regulating body weight, metabolism and reproductive function. Therefore, identifying economically important traits and genes using marker assisted selection related to milk production and beef production can enhance production and productivity.

Variants in the CYP19A1 gene can affect in vitro embryo production traits in cattle.

This study aimed to associate DNA variants in promoter and exon flanking regions of the CYP19A1 gene with in vitro embryo production traits in cattle. The role of transcription factor binding sites created or lost due to DNA sequence variation and their possible effect on gene expression was also evaluated. We collected date from Gyr dairy oocyte donor cows (Bos taurus indicus) at a commercial in vitro embryo production farm and analyzed the genotype-phenotype association with in vitro production traits. Using Sanger sequencing and web-based software, we assessed important CYP19A1 gene regions in oocyte donor cows and analyzed the effects of variants on the transcription factor binding sites. Two SNP mutations significantly associated with oocyte production, oocyte viability, embryo development, and pregnancies were found (T > C in the untranslated exon 1 flanking region ([GenBank: AJ250379.1]: rs718446508 T > C), and a T > C in the 5'-upstream region (1.1 promoter) ([GenBank: AC_000167.1]: rs41651668 T > C). Six new transcription factor binding sites were created. A binding site for transcription factors associated with the development of the placenta and embryo implantation was eliminated due to variations in the DNA sequence identified. The CYP19A1 gene contributes to genetic variation of in vitro embryo production traits in cattle. The complexity of the physiological phenomena related to estrogen pathways and their influence on reproduction in cattle allow indication of the mutations evaluated here as possible genetic markers for embryo production traits, which should be validated in the next steps of marker-assisted selection.

The microRNA gene <i>bta-mir-2313</i> in cattle: an atlas of regulatory elements and an association analysis with growth and carcass traits in the Slovenian Simental cattle breed

Abstract. MicroRNAs (miRNA) are a class of non-coding RNAs important in posttranscriptional regulation of target genes. Regulation requires complementarity between the target mRNA and the miRNA region responsible for their recognition and binding, also called the seed region. Previous studies have proven that expression profiles and genetic variations of miRNA genes (miR-SNP; SNP – single nucleotide polymorphism) and their target sites (miR-TS-SNPs) have an impact on phenotypic variation and disease susceptibility in human, animal models, and livestock. MicroRNA-associated polymorphisms therefore represent biomarker potential for phenotypic traits in livestock. Effects of miRNA gene polymorphisms on phenotypic traits have been studied in several animal species but much less in cattle. The aim of the present study was therefore to analyze the genetic variability in the bta-mir-2313 gene and test associations with growth and carcass traits of the Slovenian Simmental cattle breed. Additionally, validated and predicted genomic information related to the miRNA gene bta-mir-2313 has been obtained and presented as an atlas of miRNA regulatory elements. Sanger sequencing has been used for biomarker development and genotyping of 145 animals of Slovenian dual-purpose Simmental cattle. Out of nine known polymorphisms located within pre-miRNA regions, one mature miRNA seed SNP was polymorphic in the Slovenian Simmental cattle breed. An additional three polymorphisms were identified within the flanking pri-miRNA regions. There was no significant effect of polymorphisms on 18 tested fattening and carcass traits; however, validated polymorphisms could now be tested in association with other traits in other cattle populations. The microRNA gene bta-mir-2313 warrants further genetic and functional analyses since it overlaps with a large number of quantitative trait loci (QTL), has over 3100 predicted targets and highly polymorphic mature seed regions, and is located within protein-coding gene GRAMD1B, previously associated with production traits in cattle. Mature miRNA seed SNPs present important genomic loci for functional studies because they could affect the gain/loss of downstream targets and should be systematically studied in cattle.

Relationships between milk protein polymorphisms and production traits in cattle: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract. Many researchers who have studied the relationships between milk protein polymorphisms and some yield traits in dairy cattle have reported incompatible results. In this study, in order to examine the overall relationships between milk protein genes known as major genes (CSN1S1, CSN2, CSN3, and BLG) and some yield traits (daily milk yield, lactation milk yield, fat yield, fat content, protein yield, and protein content), a meta-analysis was performed using some genetic models reported in the results of previous studies on cattle. The results suggest that the relationships of major milk protein genes with other factors should be studied using the codominant genetic model in general. Relationships among some CSN3 genotypes and fat yield, fat content, and protein content, and relationships between some BLG genotypes and daily milk yield, fat content, protein yield, and protein content were significant (P<0.05). No significant (P>0.05) relationships were found between these genotypes and other milk production traits. In addition, no significant (P>0.05) relationships between the CSN1S1 and CSN2 genotypes with the milk production traits examined were observed.

Association of SNP and STR polymorphisms of insulin-like growth factor 2 receptor (IGF2R) gene with milk traits in Holstein-Friesian cows.

The objective of the study reported in this Research Communication was to investigate the association of polymorphisms in the insulin-like growth factor receptor 2 (IGF2R) gene with milk traits in 283 Polish Holstein-Friesian (PHF) cows from the IGAB PAS farm in Jastrzębiec. IGF2R regulates the availability of biologically active IGF2 which is considered as a genetic marker for milk or meat production in farm animals. Two novel genetic polymorphisms were identified in the bovine IGF2R gene: a polymorphic TG-repeat in intron 23 (g.72389 (TG)15-67), and a g.72479 G > A SNP RFLP-StyI in exon 24. The following milk traits were investigated: milk yield, protein and fat yield, SCC and lactose content. To determine the influence of the IGF2R STR and SNP genotypes on the milk traits, we used the AI-REML (average information restricted maximum likelihood) method with repeatability, multi-trait animal model based on test-day information using DMU package. Statistical analysis revealed that the G/A genotype (P ≤ 0·01) was associated with milk and protein yield, lactose content and somatic cell count (SCC) in Polish HF cows. TGn (29/22, 28/29, 28/22, 28/28) genotypes were associated with high values for milk, (28/22, 28/23) with protein and fat yield, (25/20) with lactose content, and (29/33, 28/28) with low SCC. We suggest that the IGF2R gene polymorphisms could be useful genetic markers for dairy production traits in cattle.

Expression of cytokine genes and receptors in white blood cells associated with divergent body weight gain in beef steers

Previous work examining the transcriptome of steer tissue samples from animals with divergent gain have shown a relationship with the expression of genes with functions in immune and inflammatory pathways. The process of mounting an immune or inflammatory response is energetically expensive and variation in cytokine responses may affect cattle production traits. In addition, a previous study has identified variation in the transcript abundance of numerous genes, including the cytokine gene IL6ST, in the circulating white blood cells of pigs associated with high and low residual feed intake (RFI) lines. The aim of this study was to determine whether changes in cytokine expression in the circulating white blood cells (WBC) could also be associated with body weight gain in beef steers. Crossbred steers (n=12) with average feed intake (10.9kg/d), but divergent body weight gain (Low=1.92kg/d; High=2.25kg/d), were selected for the study. The genes CCR3, IL9R, PF4, NAMPT and TNF were associated with gain (P≤0.05); and CSF1, IL2RG, IL6ST, CCL3, and TNFSF13B displayed a trend towards association with gain (P<0.1). The expression of cytokine genes in circulating WBCs may be useful indicators of production traits in cattle.

Evaluation of novel SNPs and haplotypes within the &amp;lt;i&amp;gt;ATBF1&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt; gene and their effects on economically important production traits in cattle

Abstract. AT motif binding factor 1 (ATBF1) gene can promote the expression level of the growth hormone 1 (GH1) gene by binding to the enhancers of the POU1F1 and PROP1 genes; thus, it affects the growth and development of livestock. Considering that the ATBF1 gene also has a close relationship with the Janus kinase–signal transductor and activator of transcription (JAK–STAT) pathway, the objective of this work was to identify novel single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) variations and their association with growth traits in native Chinese cattle breeds. Five novel SNPs within the ATBF1 gene were found in 644 Qinchuan and Jinnan cattle for first time using 25 pairs of screening and genotyping primers. The five novel SNPs were named as AC_000175:g.140344C&gt;G (SNP1), g.146573T&gt;C (SNP2), g.205468C&gt;T (SNP3), g.205575A&gt;G (SNP4) and g.297690C&lt;T (SNP5). Among them, SNP1 and SNP2 were synonymous coding SNPs, while SNP5 was a missense coding SNP, and the other SNPs were intronic. Haplotype analysis found 18 haplotypes in the two breeds, and three and five closely linked loci were revealed in Qinchuan and Jinnan breeds, respectively. Association analysis revealed that SNP1 was significantly associated with the height across the hip in Qinchuan cattle. SNP2 was found to be significantly related to chest circumference and body side length traits in Jinnan cattle. SNP3 was found to have significant associations with four growth traits in Qinchuan cattle. Moreover, the different combined genotypes, SNP1–SNP3, SNP1–SNP4 and SNP2–SNP5 were significantly associated with the growth traits in cattle. These findings indicated that the bovine ATBF1 gene had marked effects on growth traits, and the growth-trait-related loci can be used as DNA markers for maker-assisted selection (MAS) breeding programs in cattle.

Polymorphism in the SREBP-1 gene is associated with milk production traits of Jersey cattle

The sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1 (SREBP- 1) gene has been indicated to be linked to milk production traits in cattle, especially to milk fat yield and fatty acid composition. The transcription factor encoded by this gene is involved in the regulation of fat metabolism, so it is supposed that the variability of the SREBP-1 gene could influence these traits. The aim of this study was to analyze the association between the 84-bp insertion/deletion polymorphism of the SREBP-1 gene and milk production traits in Jersey cattle. The study found significant associations of the SREBP-1 gene polymorphism with fat content in the first lactation and protein content in the first three lactations analyzed both individually and together. In all cases, the LL genotype was linked to the higher value of the analyzed traits.

Adrenocortical Expression Profiling of Cattle with Distinct Juvenile Temperament Types.

Temperament affects ease of handling, animal welfare, and economically important production traits in cattle. The use of gene expression profiles as molecular traits provides a novel means of gaining insight into behavioural genetics. In this study, differences in adrenocortical expression profiles between 60 F2 cows (Charolais×German Holstein) of distinct temperament types were analysed. The cows were assessed in a novel-human test at an age of 90days. Most of the adrenal cortex transcripts which were differentially expressed (FDR<0.05) were found between temperament types of 'fearful/neophobic-alert' and all other temperament types. These transcripts belong to several biological functions like NRF2-mediated oxidative stress response, Glucocorticoid Receptor Signalling and Complement System. Overall, the present study provides new insight into transcriptional differences in the adrenal cortex between cows of distinct temperament types. Genetic regulations of such molecular traits facilitate uncovering positional and functional gene candidates for temperament type in cattle.

Genome-wide copy number variation (CNV) detection in Nelore cattle reveals highly frequent variants in genome regions harboring QTLs affecting production traits.

BackgroundCopy number variations (CNVs) have been shown to account for substantial portions of observed genomic variation and have been associated with qualitative and quantitative traits and the onset of disease in a number of species. Information from high-resolution studies to detect, characterize and estimate population-specific variant frequencies will facilitate the incorporation of CNVs in genomic studies to identify genes affecting traits of importance.ResultsGenome-wide CNVs were detected in high-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping data from 1,717 Nelore (Bos indicus) cattle, and in NGS data from eight key ancestral bulls. A total of 68,007 and 12,786 distinct CNVs were observed, respectively. Cross-comparisons of results obtained for the eight resequenced animals revealed that 92 % of the CNVs were observed in both datasets, while 62 % of all detected CNVs were observed to overlap with previously validated cattle copy number variant regions (CNVRs). Observed CNVs were used for obtaining breed-specific CNV frequencies and identification of CNVRs, which were subsequently used for gene annotation. A total of 688 of the detected CNVRs were observed to overlap with 286 non-redundant QTLs associated with important production traits in cattle. All of 34 CNVs previously reported to be associated with milk production traits in Holsteins were also observed in Nelore cattle. Comparisons of estimated frequencies of these CNVs in the two breeds revealed 14, 13, 6 and 14 regions in high (>20 %), low (<20 %) and divergent (NEL > HOL, NEL < HOL) frequencies, respectively.ConclusionsObtained results significantly enriched the bovine CNV map and enabled the identification of variants that are potentially associated with traits under selection in Nelore cattle, particularly in genome regions harboring QTLs affecting production traits.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-016-2752-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Alternative haplotype construction methods for genomic evaluation

Genomic evaluation methods today use single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) as genomic markers to trace quantitative trait loci (QTL). Today most genomic prediction procedures use biallelic SNP markers. However, SNP can be combined into short, multiallelic haplotypes that can improve genomic prediction due to higher linkage disequilibrium between the haplotypes and the linked QTL. The aim of this study was to develop a method to identify the haplotypes, which can be expected to be superior in genomic evaluation, as compared with either SNP or other haplotypes of the same size. We first identified the SNP (termed as QTL-SNP) from the bovine 50K SNP chip that had the largest effect on the analyzed trait. It was assumed that these SNP were not the causative mutations and they merely indicated the approximate location of the QTL. Haplotypes of 3, 4, or 5 SNP were selected from short genomic windows surrounding these markers to capture the effect of the QTL. Two methods described in this paper aim at selecting the most optimal haplotype for genomic evaluation. They assumed that if an allele has a high frequency, its allele effect can be accurately predicted. These methods were tested in a classical validation study using a dairy cattle population of 2,235 bulls with genotypes from the bovine 50K SNP chip and daughter yield deviations (DYD) on 5 dairy cattle production traits. Combining the SNP into haplotypes was beneficial with all tested haplotypes, leading to an average increase of 2% in terms of correlations between DYD and genomic breeding value estimates compared with the analysis when the same SNP were used individually. Compared with haplotypes built by merging the QTL-SNP with its flanking SNP, the haplotypes selected with the proposed criteria carried less under- and over-represented alleles: the proportion of alleles with frequencies <1 or >40% decreased, on average, by 17.4 and 43.4%, respectively. The correlations between DYD and genomic breeding value estimates increased by 0.7 to 0.9 percentage points when the haplotypes were selected using any of the proposed methods compared with using the haplotypes built from the QTL-SNP and its flanking markers. We showed that the efficiency of genomic prediction could be improved at no extra costs, only by selecting the proper markers or combinations of markers for genomic prediction. One of the presented approaches was implemented in the new genomic evaluation procedure applied in dairy cattle in France in April 2015.

Genome-wide association study of body weight in Australian Merino sheep reveals an orthologous region on OAR6 to human and bovine genomic regions affecting height and weight.

BackgroundBody weight (BW) is an important trait for meat production in sheep. Although over the past few years, numerous quantitative trait loci (QTL) have been detected for production traits in cattle, few QTL studies have been reported for sheep, with even fewer on meat production traits. Our objective was to perform a genome-wide association study (GWAS) with the medium-density Illumina Ovine SNP50 BeadChip to identify genomic regions and corresponding haplotypes associated with BW in Australian Merino sheep.MethodsA total of 1781 Australian Merino sheep were genotyped using the medium-density Illumina Ovine SNP50 BeadChip. Among the 53 862 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on this array, 48 640 were used to perform a GWAS using a linear mixed model approach. Genotypes were phased with hsphase; to estimate SNP haplotype effects, linkage disequilibrium blocks were identified in the detected QTL region.ResultsThirty-nine SNPs were associated with BW at a Bonferroni-corrected genome-wide significance threshold of 1 %. One region on sheep (Ovis aries) chromosome 6 (OAR6) between 36.15 and 38.56 Mb, included 13 significant SNPs that were associated with BW; the most significant SNP was OAR6_41936490.1 (P = 2.37 × 10−16) at 37.69 Mb with an allele substitution effect of 2.12 kg, which corresponds to 0.248 phenotypic standard deviations for BW. The region that surrounds this association signal on OAR6 contains three genes: leucine aminopeptidase 3 (LAP3), which is involved in the processing of the oxytocin precursor; NCAPG non-SMC condensin I complex, subunit G (NCAPG), which is associated with foetal growth and carcass size in cattle; and ligand dependent nuclear receptor corepressor-like (LCORL), which is associated with height in humans and cattle.ConclusionsThe GWAS analysis detected 39 SNPs associated with BW in sheep and a major QTL region was identified on OAR6. In several other mammalian species, regions that are syntenic with this region have been found to be associated with body size traits, which may reflect that the underlying biological mechanisms share a common ancestry. These findings should facilitate the discovery of causative variants for BW and contribute to marker-assisted selection.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12711-015-0142-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Imprinted loci in domestic livestock species as epigenomic targets for artificial selection of complex traits.

The phenomenon of genomic imprinting, whereby a subset of mammalian genes display parent-of-origin-specific monoallelic expression, is one of the most active areas of epigenetics research. Over the past two decades, more than 100 imprinted mammalian genes have been identified, while considerable advances have been made in elucidating the molecular mechanisms governing imprinting. These studies have helped to unravel the epigenome--a separate layer of regulatory information contained in eukaryotic chromosomes that influences gene expression and phenotypes without involving changes to the underlying DNA sequence. Although most studies of genomic imprinting in mammals have focussed on mouse models or human biomedical disorders, there is burgeoning interest in the phenotypic effects of imprinted genes in domestic livestock species. In particular, research has focused on imprinted genes influencing foetal growth and development, which are associated with economically important production traits in cattle, sheep and pigs. These findings, when coupled with the data emerging from the various different livestock genome projects, have major implications for the future of animal breeding, health and management. Here, we review current scientific knowledge regarding genomic imprinting in livestock species and evaluate how this information can be used in modern livestock improvement programmes.

Subspecies differences in early fetal development and plasma pregnancy-associated glycoprotein concentrations in cattle1

Inclusion of Bos indicus genetics improves production traits of cattle maintained in hot climates. Limited information exists detailing pregnancy-specific events as influenced by variable amounts of Bos indicus genetics. Three experiments were completed to examine the effect of Bos taurus and Bos indicus genotypes on fetal size and plasma pregnancy-associated glycoprotein (PAG) concentrations. In all experiments, cows were bred by AI after synchronization of ovulation. Fetal measurements were completed by transrectal ultrasonography and plasma PAG concentrations were quantified from plasma harvested the day of each fetal measurement. In Exp. 1, fetal size and plasma PAG concentrations were measured at d 53 of pregnancy in cows composed of various fractions of Angus and Brahman (n = 9 to 21 cows/group). Fetus size was greater in cows containing >80% Angus genetics compared with cows containing <80% Angus influence (3.40 ± 0.28 vs. 2.86 ± 0.28 cm crown-rump length; P < 0.01). Plasma PAG concentrations were reduced (P < 0.01) in cows containing >80% Angus genetics when compared with their contemporaries (6.0 ± 1.5 ng/mL vs. 9.4 ± 1.5 ng/mL). In Exp. 2, fetal measurements and plasma PAG concentrations were determined at d 35 and 62 of pregnancy in Angus and Brangus cows. Breed did not affect fetus size at d 35, but Angus cows contained larger fetuses than Brangus cows at d 62 [3.0 ± 0.03 vs. 2.8 ± 0.03 cm crown-nose length (CNL; P > 0.01)]. Plasma PAG concentrations were not different between breed at d 35 and 62 (P > 0.1). In Exp. 3, fetal measurements and plasma samples were collected at d 33/34, 40/41, 47/48, and 54/55 post-AI in Angus and Brangus cows. Fetus size was not different (P > 0.05) between genotypes on d 33/34, 40/41, and 47/48. Angus fetuses were larger than Brangus fetuses at d 54/55 (2.1 ± 0.03 vs. 1.9 ± 0.03 cm CNL; P = 0.001). Plasma PAG concentrations were less in Angus than Brangus cows at each time point (average 4.9 ± 0.9 vs. 8.2 ± 0.9 ng/mL; P = 0.005). In conclusion, these studies determined that the Bos taurus × Bos indicus genotype impacts fetal size and rate of fetal development by 7 wk of gestation. Plasma PAG concentrations were increased in cattle with Bos indicus genetics in 2 of 3 studies, suggesting that genotype is one of several determinants of PAG production and secretion in cattle.

A genome-wide association study using international breeding-evaluation data identifies major loci affecting production traits and stature in the Brown Swiss cattle breed

BackgroundThe genome-wide association study (GWAS) is a useful approach to identify genes affecting economically important traits in dairy cattle. Here, we report the results from a GWAS based on high-density SNP genotype data and estimated breeding values for nine production, fertility, body conformation, udder health and workability traits in the Brown Swiss cattle population that is part of the international genomic evaluation program.ResultGWASs were performed using 50 k SNP chip data and deregressed estimated breeding values (DEBVs) for nine traits from between 2061 and 5043 bulls that were part of the international genomic evaluation program coordinated by Interbull Center. The nine traits were milk yield (MY), fat yield (FY), protein yield (PY), lactating cow’s ability to recycle after calving (CRC), angularity (ANG), body depth (BDE), stature (STA), milk somatic cell score (SCS) and milk speed (MSP). Analyses were performed using a linear mixed model correcting for population confounding. A total of 74 SNPs were detected to be genome-wide significantly associated with one or several of the nine analyzed traits. The strongest signal was identified on chromosome 25 for milk production traits, stature and body depth. Other signals were on chromosome 11 for angularity, chromosome 24 for somatic cell score, and chromosome 6 for milking speed. Some signals overlapped with earlier reported QTL for similar traits in other cattle populations and were located close to interesting candidate genes worthy of further investigations.ConclusionsOur study shows that international genetic evaluation data is a useful resource for identifying genetic factors influencing complex traits in livestock. Several genome wide significant association signals could be identified in the Brown Swiss population, including a major signal on BTA25. Our findings report several associations and plausible candidate genes that deserve further exploration in other populations and molecular dissection to explore the potential economic impact and the genetic mechanisms underlying these production traits in cattle.

The study of the SNP in the corticotropin-releasing hormone gene (Exon 2) and milk production traits in cattle

The aim of this study was estimate the relations between CRH C22G and milk production traits (milk yield, yield of protein and fat, content of protein and fat in milk). The study was carried on 169 Polish Holstein-Friesian strain Red-and-White cows kept in the south-western region of Poland. The CRH C22G (exon 2) polymorphisms were detected using PCR-RFLP method. The genotype and allele frequencies were estimated and they were as follows: CC - 0.89, CG - 0.09, GG - 0.02; C - 0.93, G - 0.07. Statistically significant (P < or = 0.05) associations between CRH C22G genotypes and milk production traits like milk yield and protein yield in the second lactation were found. Moreover, the obtained results should be verified by conducting research on a larger group of animals and various cattle breeds.