Genome-Wide Gene–Environment Interaction Analysis Identifies Novel Candidate Variants for Growth Traits in Beef Cattle

Bibliographic Details
Title: Genome-Wide Gene–Environment Interaction Analysis Identifies Novel Candidate Variants for Growth Traits in Beef Cattle
Authors: Tianyu Deng, Keanning Li, Lili Du, Mang Liang, Li Qian, Qingqing Xue, Shiyuan Qiu, Lingyang Xu, Lupei Zhang, Xue Gao, Xianyong Lan, Junya Li, Huijiang Gao
Source: Animals, Vol 14, Iss 11, p 1695 (2024)
Publisher Information: MDPI AG, 2024.
Publication Year: 2024
Collection: LCC:Veterinary medicine
LCC:Zoology
Subject Terms: genotype-by-environment interaction, robust estimator, cattle, gene-based analysis, gene-set analysis, Veterinary medicine, SF600-1100, Zoology, QL1-991
More Details: Complex traits are widely considered to be the result of a compound regulation of genes, environmental factors, and genotype-by-environment interaction (G × E). The inclusion of G × E in genome-wide association analyses is essential to understand animal environmental adaptations and improve the efficiency of breeding decisions. Here, we systematically investigated the G × E of growth traits (including weaning weight, yearling weight, 18-month body weight, and 24-month body weight) with environmental factors (farm and temperature) using genome-wide genotype-by-environment interaction association studies (GWEIS) with a dataset of 1350 cattle. We validated the robust estimator’s effectiveness in GWEIS and detected 29 independent interacting SNPs with a significance threshold of 1.67 × 10−6, indicating that these SNPs, which do not show main effects in traditional genome-wide association studies (GWAS), may have non-additive effects across genotypes but are obliterated by environmental means. The gene-based analysis using MAGMA identified three genes that overlapped with the GEWIS results exhibiting G × E, namely SMAD2, PALMD, and MECOM. Further, the results of functional exploration in gene-set analysis revealed the bio-mechanisms of how cattle growth responds to environmental changes, such as mitotic or cytokinesis, fatty acid β-oxidation, neurotransmitter activity, gap junction, and keratan sulfate degradation. This study not only reveals novel genetic loci and underlying mechanisms influencing growth traits but also transforms our understanding of environmental adaptation in beef cattle, thereby paving the way for more targeted and efficient breeding strategies.
Document Type: article
File Description: electronic resource
Language: English
ISSN: 2076-2615
Relation: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/14/11/1695; https://doaj.org/toc/2076-2615
DOI: 10.3390/ani14111695
Access URL: https://doaj.org/article/e1253c5ef77f45fdb9df57ff62c542a7
Accession Number: edsdoj.1253c5ef77f45fdb9df57ff62c542a7
Database: Directory of Open Access Journals
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More Details
ISSN:20762615
DOI:10.3390/ani14111695
Published in:Animals
Language:English