Unveiling the common loci for six body measurement traits in Chinese Wenshan cattle

Honghui Ren; Xiaoming He; Ying Lu; Dan Yue; Xingneng Liu; Dongwang Wu; Junhong Zhu; Zhendong Gao; Dongmei Xi; Weidong Deng

doi:10.3389/fgene.2023.1318679

Unveiling the common loci for six body measurement traits in Chinese Wenshan cattle

Front Genet. 2023 Nov 24:14:1318679. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1318679. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Honghui Ren^{1

2}, Xiaoming He^{1

3}, Ying Lu¹, Dan Yue^{1

4}, Xingneng Liu^{1

3}, Dongwang Wu¹, Junhong Zhu¹, Zhendong Gao¹, Dongmei Xi¹, Weidong Deng¹

Affiliations

¹ Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed, Faculty of Animal Science and Technology, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, China.
² Sichuan Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture Institute of Animal Husbandry Science, Kangding, China.
³ Institute of Animal Husbandry, Yunnan Vocational College of Agriculture, Kunming, China.
⁴ Faculty of Animal Science and Technology, Yuxi Agricultural Vocational and Technical College, Yuxi, China.

Abstract

Introduction: Body measurement traits are integral in cattle production, serving as pivotal criteria for breeding selection. Wenshan cattle, a local breed in China's Yunnan province, exhibit remarkable genetic diversity. However, the molecular mechanisms regulating body measurement traits in Wenshan cattle remain unexplored. Methods: In this study, we performed a genome-wide association method to identify genetic architecture for body height body length hip height back height (BAH), waist height and ischial tuberosity height using the Bovine 50 K single nucleotide polymorphism Array in 1060 Wenshan cattles. Results: This analysis reveals 8 significant SNPs identified through the mixed linear model (MLM), with 6 SNPs are associated with multiple traits and 4 SNPs are associated with all 6 traits. Furthermore, we pinpoint 21 candidate genes located in proximity to or within these significant SNPs. Among them, Scarb1, acetoacetyl-CoA synthetase and HIVEP3 were implicated in bone formation and rarely encountered in livestock body measurement traits, emerge as potential candidate genes regulating body measurement traits in Wenshan cattle. Discussion: This investigation provides valuable insights into the genetic mechanisms underpinning body measurement traits in this unique cattle breed, paving the way for further research in this domain.

Keywords: SNPs; Wenshan cattle; body measurement traits; genetic selection; genome-wide association study.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This research was funded by Major Science and Technology Projects in Yunnan Province (grant No. 202202AE090005).