Genomic association study for adaptability traits in four colombian cattle breeds

Abstract

The aim of this study was to perform a genome wide association study for the coefficient of adaptability, the heat tolerance coefficient, age at first calving and calving interval, using 58,868 and 57,482 single nucleotide polymorphisms obtained from 1262 Blanco Orejinegro and 742 Sanmartinero individuals, implementing a singlestep- genomic-BLUP (ssGBLUP) methodology. A total of 25 and 11 genomic regions in BON and SM were associated with the traits evaluated. In these regions; several genes involved in the regulation of reproduction and adaptability were identified. Some of them, such as the RPTOR, TM2D1, RAB21 and ACOT13 genes, are involved in the physiological response to heat stress. SLC6A16, TMEM50A, NLRP9, KHDRBS2 and UBE2C are possibly associated to reproductive performance. The results of this study indicate an association between some genomic regions and reproductive and adaptability-related traits in Colombian cattle breeds. Several genes contained in these regions can potentially be used in animal breeding programs to select for adabtability within cattle production systems located in a tropical environment.