Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA.
Italian Brown Breeders Association, Bussolengo, 37012, Verona, Italy.
Sci Rep. 2022 Jun 22;12(1):10575. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-14889-1.
Improving reproductive performance remains a major goal in dairy cattle worldwide. Service sire has been recognized as an important factor affecting herd fertility. The main objective of this study was to reveal the genetic basis of male fertility in Italian Brown Swiss dairy cattle. Dataset included 1102 Italian Brown Swiss bulls with sire conception rate records genotyped with 454k single nucleotide polymorphisms. The analysis included whole-genome scans and gene-set analyses to identify genomic regions, individual genes and genetic mechanisms affecting Brown Swiss bull fertility. One genomic region on BTA1 showed significant additive effects. This region harbors gene RABL3 which is implicated cell proliferation and motility. Two genomic regions, located on BTA6 and BTA26, showed marked non-additive effects. These regions harbor genes, such as WDR19 and ADGRA1, that are directly involved in male fertility, including sperm motility, acrosome reaction, and embryonic development. The gene-set analysis revealed functional terms related to cell adhesion, cellular signaling, cellular transport, immune system, and embryonic development. Remarkably, a gene-set analysis also including Holstein and Jersey data, revealed significant processes that are common to the three dairy breeds, including cell migration, cell-cell interaction, GTPase activity, and the immune function. Overall, this comprehensive study contributes to a better understanding of the genetic basis of male fertility in cattle. In addition, our findings may guide the development of novel genomic strategies for improving service sire fertility in Brown Swiss cattle.
提高繁殖性能仍然是全球奶牛养殖业的主要目标。种公牛被认为是影响牛群繁殖力的重要因素。本研究的主要目的是揭示意大利褐牛公牛的雄性生育力的遗传基础。数据集包括 1102 头意大利褐牛公牛，这些公牛的父系受胎率记录经 454k 单核苷酸多态性基因分型。该分析包括全基因组扫描和基因集分析，以鉴定影响褐牛公牛繁殖力的基因组区域、个体基因和遗传机制。BTA1 上的一个基因组区域显示出显著的加性效应。该区域包含 RABL3 基因，该基因参与细胞增殖和运动。位于 BTA6 和 BTA26 上的两个基因组区域显示出显著的非加性效应。这些区域包含基因，如 WDR19 和 ADGRA1，这些基因直接参与雄性生育力，包括精子运动性、顶体反应和胚胎发育。基因集分析揭示了与细胞黏附、细胞信号转导、细胞运输、免疫系统和胚胎发育相关的功能术语。值得注意的是，还包括荷斯坦和泽西数据的基因集分析，揭示了三个奶牛品种共有的显著过程，包括细胞迁移、细胞-细胞相互作用、GTPase 活性和免疫功能。总体而言，这项全面的研究有助于更好地了解牛的雄性生育力的遗传基础。此外，我们的发现可能为提高褐牛公牛种公牛的繁殖力提供新的基因组策略。
