Genetic variation in humoral response to an Escherichia coli O157:H7 vaccine in beef cattle

PLoS One. 2018 May 14;13(5):e0197347. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0197347. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

Individuals often respond differently to the same vaccine; some of this variation may be caused by genetic differences among animals. Our objective was to estimate heritability and identify genomic regions associated with humoral response to an Escherichia coli O157:H7 vaccine in beef cattle. Crossbred beef cattle (n = 651) were vaccinated with a commercially available E. coli O157:H7 vaccine. Serum was collected at time of initial vaccination (d 0), booster (d 21), and d 56 after initial vaccination. Total antibodies specific to siderophore receptor and porin proteins in the vaccine were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Genomic DNA was isolated from whole blood and genotyped with the bovine GeneSeek Genomic Profiler-High Density 78K or 26K Single Nucleotide Polymorphism BeadChip and imputed to 777,000 SNP genotypes. Heritability was estimated by restricted maximum likelihood (REML) using both 1) pedigree and 2) genomic relationships among individuals. Fixed effects were contemporary group, calf age, sex, principal components from SNP genotype data, and pedigree-derived heterozygosity effects. Additive and dominance effects of SNPs were estimated individually while accounting for contemporary group, sex, and the top 20 principal components calculated from the genomic relationship matrix. Heritability of initial response to vaccination (d 21 -d 0) was 0.10 ± 0.175 using pedigree relationships and 0.14 ± 0.149 using genomic relationships, but neither estimate was statistically different from zero. Heritability of booster (d 56 -d 21) and overall (d 56 -d 0) responses were low and not statistically significant from zero. There were no clusters of linked SNP associated with vaccine response, but eight regionally isolated SNPs were significantly associated with initial or overall response to vaccination. Regional genetic variation for initial response to an E. coli O157:H7 vaccine was observed, although overall heritability of this response was not statistically significant from zero.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Bacterial / blood*
  • Cattle / genetics
  • Cattle / immunology*
  • Cattle Diseases / genetics
  • Cattle Diseases / immunology
  • Cattle Diseases / prevention & control
  • Escherichia coli Infections / genetics
  • Escherichia coli Infections / immunology
  • Escherichia coli Infections / prevention & control
  • Escherichia coli Infections / veterinary
  • Escherichia coli O157 / immunology*
  • Escherichia coli Vaccines / immunology*
  • Female
  • Genome-Wide Association Study
  • Immunity, Humoral / genetics*
  • Immunization, Secondary / veterinary
  • Male
  • Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
  • Vaccination / veterinary

Substances

  • Antibodies, Bacterial
  • Escherichia coli Vaccines

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the South Dakota Beef Industry Council and through USDA-NIFA Hatch funds. The funders did not have any role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Epitopix, Inc. provided support in the form of salary for author BW but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific roles of this author are articulated in the ‘author contributions’ section.