Genome-Wide Association Study of Body Weight Traits in Inner Mongolia Cashmere Goats

Lei Zhang; Fenghong Wang; Gong Gao; Xiaochun Yan; Hongfu Liu; Zhihong Liu; Zhixin Wang; Libing He; Qi Lv; Zhiying Wang; Ruijun Wang; Yanjun Zhang; Jinquan Li; Rui Su

doi:10.3389/fvets.2021.752746

Genome-Wide Association Study of Body Weight Traits in Inner Mongolia Cashmere Goats

Front Vet Sci. 2021 Dec 1:8:752746. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2021.752746. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Lei Zhang^{1

2}, Fenghong Wang¹, Gong Gao¹, Xiaochun Yan¹, Hongfu Liu¹, Zhihong Liu^{1

3

4

5}, Zhixin Wang^{1

3

4}, Libing He², Qi Lv¹, Zhiying Wang¹, Ruijun Wang¹, Yanjun Zhang^{1

3

4

5}, Jinquan Li^{1

3

4

5}, Rui Su¹

Affiliations

¹ College of Animal Science, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China.
² Inner Mongolia Jinlai Livestock Technology Co., Ltd, Hohhot, China.
³ Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Hohhot, China.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Mutton Sheep Genetics and Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Hohhot, China.
⁵ Engineering Research Center for Goat Genetics and Breeding, Hohhot, China.

Abstract

Objective: Body weight is an important economic trait for a goat, which greatly affects animal growth and survival. The purpose of this study was to identify genes associated with birth weight (BW), weaning weight (WW), and yearling weight (YW). Materials and Methods: In this study, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of BW, WW, and YW was determined using the GGP_Goat_70K single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chip in 1,920 Inner Mongolia cashmere goats. Results: We discovered that 21 SNPs were significantly associated with BW on the genome-wide levels. These SNPs were located in 10 genes, e.g., Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3 (MAPK3), LIM domain binding 2 (LDB2), and low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1B (LRP1B), which may be related to muscle growth and development in Inner Mongolia Cashmere goats. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis revealed that these genes were significantly enriched in the regulation of actin cytoskeleton and phospholipase D signaling pathway etc. Conclusion: In summary, this study will improve the marker-assisted breeding of Inner Mongolia cashmere goats and the molecular mechanisms of important economic traits.

Keywords: GGP_Goat_70K SNP chip; Inner Mongolia cashmere goats; birth weight (BW); genome-wide association study; weaning weight (WW); yearling weight (YW).