Cattle temperament is an interesting trait due to its correlation with production efficiency, labor safety, and animal welfare. To date, however, its genetic basis is not clearly understood. Here, we performed a genome-wide association study for a series of temperament traits in cattle, assessed with via open field and novel object tests, using autosomal single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) derived from the whole-genome sequence. We identified 37 and 29 genome-wide significant loci in the open field and novel object tests, respectively. Gene set analysis revealed the most significant pathway was the neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction pathway, which may be essential for emotional control in cattle. Analysis of the expression levels of 18 tissue-specific genes based on transcriptomic data showed enrichment in the brain, with some candidate genes involved in psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases in humans. Based on principal component analysis, the first principal component explained the largest variance in the open field and novel object test data, and the most significant loci were assigned to SORCS3 and SESTD1, respectively. Our findings should help facilitate cattle breeding for sound temperament by pyramiding favorable alleles to further improve cattle production.
牛性情是一个非常有意思的性状，它与生产效率、役用安全、动物福利等紧密相关，但其遗传机制尚不清楚。该研究通过旷场测试及新物体测试分别获得了15和14个与性情相关的性状数据，结合30头婆罗门牛及128头云岭牛的常染色体基因组序列单核苷酸多态性(SNPs)进行全基因组关联分析（GWAS）。结果显示在旷场测试和新物体测试中分别鉴定出37 和29个显著位点。基因注释发现多个旷场测试性状的显著位点位于参与突触抑制和恐惧消退神经元受体基因 SORCS3上；多个新物体测试性状的显著位点位于参与海马神经元树突棘密度和兴奋性突触传递的突触蛋白基因 SESTD1上。基因集富集分析显示神经活性配体-受体相互作用的KEGG通路在旷场测试和新物体测试中均显著。通过不同组织特异性表达分析显示在脑组织中富集了一些与人类精神疾病和神经退行性疾病有关的候选基因。我们的结果为研究牛温和性情提供了新的遗传学见解，并为改善牛的性情提供了更好的基因组材料。.
Keywords: Cattle temperament; Novel object test; Open field test; SESTD1; SORCS3.