Genome-wide association study identifies novel loci associated with resistance to bovine tuberculosis

Heredity (Edinb). 2014 May;112(5):543-51. doi: 10.1038/hdy.2013.137. Epub 2014 Feb 5.

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) caused by Mycobacterium bovis is a re-emerging disease of livestock that is of major economic importance worldwide, as well as being a zoonotic risk. There is significant heritability for host resistance to bovine TB (bTB) in dairy cattle. To identify resistance loci for bTB, we undertook a genome-wide association study in female Holstein-Friesian cattle with 592 cases and 559 age-matched controls from case herds. Cases and controls were categorised into distinct phenotypes: skin test and lesion positive vs skin test negative on multiple occasions, respectively. These animals were genotyped with the Illumina BovineHD 700K BeadChip. Genome-wide rapid association using linear and logistic mixed models and regression (GRAMMAR), regional heritability mapping (RHM) and haplotype-sharing analysis identified two novel resistance loci that attained chromosome-wise significance, protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor T (PTPRT; P=4.8 × 10(-7)) and myosin IIIB (MYO3B; P=5.4 × 10(-6)). We estimated that 21% of the phenotypic variance in TB resistance could be explained by all of the informative single-nucleotide polymorphisms, of which the region encompassing the PTPRT gene accounted for 6.2% of the variance and a further 3.6% was associated with a putative copy number variant in MYO3B. The results from this study add to our understanding of variation in host control of infection and suggest that genetic marker-based selection for resistance to bTB has the potential to make a significant contribution to bTB control.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cattle
  • Chromosome Mapping
  • Chromosomes, Mammalian / genetics
  • Disease Resistance / genetics*
  • Female
  • Gene Frequency
  • Genetic Loci / genetics*
  • Genetic Predisposition to Disease / genetics*
  • Genome-Wide Association Study / veterinary*
  • Genotype
  • Haplotypes
  • Host-Pathogen Interactions / genetics
  • Linear Models
  • Linkage Disequilibrium
  • Logistic Models
  • Mycobacterium bovis / physiology
  • Phenotype
  • Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
  • Tuberculosis, Bovine / genetics*
  • Tuberculosis, Bovine / microbiology