Function Identification of Bovine ACSF3 Gene and Its Association With Lipid Metabolism Traits in Beef Cattle

Acyl-CoA synthetase family member 3 (ACSF3) carries out the first step of mitochondrial fatty acid synthesis II, which is the linkage of malonate and, to a lesser extent, methylmalonate onto CoA. Malonyl-coenzyme A (malonyl-CoA) is a central metabolite in mammalian fatty acid biochemistry that is generated and utilized in the cytoplasm. In this research, we verified the relationship between expression of the ACSF3 and the production of triglycerides (TGs) at the cellular level by silencing and over-expressing ACSF3. Subsequently, through Sanger sequencing, five polymorphisms were found in the functional domain of the bovine ACSF3, and the relationship between ACSF3 polymorphism and the economic traits and fatty acid composition of Chinese Simmental cattle was analyzed by a means of variance analysis and multiple comparison. The results illustrated that the expression of ACSF3 promoted triglyceride synthesis in bovine mammary epithelial cells and bovine fetal fibroblast cells. Further association analysis also indicated that individuals with the AG genotype (g.14211090 G > A) of ACSF3 were significantly associated with the fatty acid composition of intramuscular fat (higher content of linoleic acid, α-linolenic acid, and arachidonic acid), and that CTCAG haplotype individuals were significantly related to the fatty acid composition of intramuscular fat (higher linoleic acid content). Individuals with the AA genotypes of g.14211055 A > G and g.14211090 G > A were substantially associated with a larger eye muscle area in the Chinese Simmental cattle population. ACSF3 played a pivotal role in the regulation of cellular triacylglycerol and long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid levels, and polymorphism could serve as a useful molecular marker for future marker-assisted selection in the breeding of intramuscular fat deposition traits in beef cattle.

Estimation of direct and maternal genetic parameters for weaning weight in Hungarian Simmental cattle

The aim of the current research was to estimate variance components and genetic parameters of weaning weight in Hungarian Simmental cattle. Weaning weight records were obtained from the Association of Hungarian Simmental Breeders. The dataset comprised of 44,278 animals born from 1975 to 2020. The data was analyzed using the restricted maximum likelihood methodology of the Wombat software. We fitted a total of six models to the weaning weight data of Hungarian Simmental cattle. Models ranged from a simple model with animals as the only random effect to a model that had maternal environmental effects as additional random effects as well as direct maternal genetic covariance. Fixed effects in the model comprised of herd, birth year, calving order and sex. Likelihood ratio test was used to determine the best fit model for the data. Results indicated that allowing for direct-maternal genetic covariance increases the direct and maternal effect dramatically. The best fit model had direct and maternal genetic effects as the only random effect with non-zero direct-maternal genetic correlation. Direct heritability, maternal heritability and direct maternal correlation of the best fit model was 0.57, 0.16 and -0.78 respectively. The result indicates that problem of (co-)sampling variation occurs when attempting to partition additive genetic variance into direct and maternal components.

PSVIII-6 Genetic features of Russian Simmental cattle population different origin derived by assessing milk production and fertility traits

Since the beginning of the 20th century, over 43 thousand animals of Simmental cattle and related breeds have been imported to Russia from Europe. This had a significant impact on the selection intensity and genetic structure within the pale-motley population. The research included 42 breeding herds from 14 regions of Russia. The EBV using the BLUPF90 program based on the ANIMAL MODEL procedure was calculated. Totally of 1471 bulls by using 61816 daughters were estimated. The heritability coefficients showed moderate variability for milk yield (MY) h2=0.140, fat percentage (FP) h2=0.194, protein percentage (PP) h2=0.184 and live weight h2=0.163, as an indirect predictor for meat production. The variability for fertility features like number of inseminations per conception and days open was h2=0.073 and h2=0.061, respectively. Genetic correlation between MY and FP was rg=0.149, and for MY and PP – rg=0.180, while between FP and PP – rg=0.226. The average bulls’ EBV for milk traits in Red Holsteins consisted +23 kg MY, +0.002% FP and +0.001% PP, by Austrian Simmental +10 kg MY, +0.013% FP and +0.002% PP. For Russian Simmental origin animals was signed negative selection response for MY (-23 kg), FP (-0.001%) and PP (-0.003%). High average EBV for imported Simmental cows were revealed +146 kg MY, +0.009% FP and +0.004% PP, while in Russian Simmental we got negative values for MY -70 kg and PP -0.004% but only for FP was showed positive level +0.001%. Simmental breed improvement strategy in Russia focused not only to increasing milk yield but also to improving milk compositions with stabilizing cows’ reproductive traits using the world gene pool of related breeds from Europe. The study was funded by Ministry of Science and Higher Education No.0445-2021-0016

PSXI-2 Genome-Wide association study and possibilities for genomic selection of Simmental cattle breed in Russia

The implementation of genomic selection methods in dairy cattle is limited due to the size of the reference population, quantitative traits variability and genetic structure of population. The Simmental cattle and related breeds in Russia occupy the third place by registered cows - 87.6 thousand, and are bred from the western borders of central Russia to Yakutia in Siberia. The study aim was to search for QTL using as a pseudo phenotype sires’ EBV to validate the effectiveness of genomic assessments for Simmental cattle in Russia. Reference group based on 358 bulls from different Russian regional populations was formed. By the dataset of 61976 cows, using BLUP Animal Model approach, animals’ EBV were calculated. The GBLUP procedure was used to get genomic prediction (DGV). Genotype quality control selected of 37143 SNPs. GWAS analysis was perform by Plink 1.90. To prove DGV we used verification procedure to comparison with EBV in training population dataset that showed slightly moderate repeatability for 305-milk yield - 37.6%, milk fat - 39.8% and milk protein - 43.6%. Significant SNPs associated with bulls EBV according to milk production and fertility traits revealed for: 305-milk yield on BTA5 (ACO2,p=0.0005), BTA29 (NAP1L4, P = 0.00004; KCNQ1, P = 0.00004); fat percentage on BTA3 (ROR1, P = 0.0003), BTA14 (CRH, P = 0.0003; TRIM55, P = 0.0003; DNAJC5B, P = 0.0003; REX2, P = 0.0020; ZFHX4, P = 0.0020) BTA17 (TLR2, P = 0.0011); days open on BTA1 (TNIK, P = 0.0007; FNDC3B, P = 0.0007), BTA21 (IGF1R, P = 0.0002). Using Cattle QTL Database, the identified genes were associated with milk yield, fat and protein percentage, protein yield, somatic cell score, protein-to-fat ratio, stearic fatty acid content, calving ease, daughter pregnancy rate, stillbirth and inseminations per conception. GWAS results identified significant SNPs associated with milk production and fertility traits that will allow in the nearest future improve reliability for genomic prediction of young bulls and boost genetic trend in the Russian Simmental cattle population. The study was funded by RFBR within project No.17-29-08030

A variance component estimation approach to infer associations between Mendelian polledness and quantitative production and female fertility traits in German Simmental cattle

Background Managing beneficial Mendelian characteristics in dairy cattle breeding programs implies that the correlated genetic effects are considered to avoid possible adverse effects in selection processes. The Mendelian trait polledness in cattle is traditionally associated with the belief that the polled locus has unfavorable effects on breeding goal traits. This may be due to the inferior breeding values of former polled bulls and cows in cattle breeds, such as German Simmental, or to pleiotropic or linkage effects of the polled locus. Methods We focused on a variance component estimation approach that uses a marker-based numerator relationship matrix reflecting gametic relationships at the polled locus to test for direct pleiotropic or linked quantitative trait loci (QTL) effects of the polled locus on relevant traits. We applied the approach to performance, health, and female fertility traits in German Simmental cattle. Results Our results showed no evidence for any pleiotropic QTL effects of the polled locus on test-day production traits milk yield and fat percentage, on the mastitis indicator ‘somatic cell score’, and on several female fertility traits, i.e. 56 days non return rate, days open and days to first service. We detected a significant and unfavorable QTL effect accounting for 6.6% of the genetic variance for protein percentage only. Conclusions Pleiotropy does not explain the lower breeding values and phenotypic inferiority of polled German Simmental sires and cows relative to the horned population in the breed. Thus, intensified selection in the polled population will contribute to increased selection response in breeding goal traits and genetic merit and will narrow the deficit in breeding values for production traits.

Review of Infections With Bovine Herpesvirus 1 in Slovenia

In the 1950s, infectious bovine rhinotracheitis/infectious pustular vulvovaginitis (IBR/IPV) disease was clinically detected and documented in cattle for the first time in Slovenia. The bovine herpes virus 1 (BoHV-1) was confirmed several times from infected herds by virus isolation on cell cultures. To keep the IC virus-free, high biosecurity measures were introduced. Before entering the IC, all calves are serologically tested and quarantined. Bulls in Slovenian insemination centres (IC) have been negative for IBR /IPV infection since 1979. From 1985 to 1991, few large-scale studies of the prevalence of IBR/IPV were carried out. In 1985, a high percentage (56.9%) of serologically positive animals were found in large state farms with Holstein Friesian cattle. Epidemiological studies in farm with bulls' mother herds were also carried out in the farms with Simmental and Brown cows. Antibodies against BoHV-1 were detected in the serum of 2.3% of Brown cattle and 3.5% of Simmental cattle. In the year 2000, 3.4% of bulk tank milk samples from 13,349 dairy farms were detected BoHV-1 antibodies positive. The highest percentage of positive animals was found in regions with an intensive grazing system (6.2% positive) and the lowest percentage in the east part of Slovenia (0.9% positive) on farms with mostly Simmental cattle. In 2006, a total 204,662 sera of cattle older than 24 months were tested for the presence of BoHV-1 antibodies and positive cattle were detected in 3.6% of tested farms. These farms kept 34,537 animals that were potential carriers of the BoHV-1. Most of the positive farms kept Holstein Friesian cattle, descendants from the state-owned farms, which were privatised or closed after 1990. In 2015, the Administration of the Republic of Slovenia for Food Safety, Veterinary and Plant Protection issued a rule that describes the conditions for granting and maintaining the status of BoHV-1 free holdings. The rule provides a voluntary control programme for breeders who want to obtain BoHV-1 free status and are willing to cover all the cost of acquiring and maintaining that status. There has been very little response from breeders.

Detection of Coxiella burnetii (Query Fever) DNA by Nested-PCR in Beef Cattle from Ampel Slaughterhouse, Boyolali Regency, Middle Java, Indonesia

Coxiella burnetii (C. burnetii) is a Gram-negative and obligate intracellular bacterium that causes Query fever (Q fever). The aim of the present study was to detect C. burnetii in beef cattle from Ampel slaughterhouse at Boyolali Regency, Middle Java, Indonesia. Spleen, heart, liver, lung, and kidney samples were collected from 100 cattle and used for Nested-PCR (nPCR) with four types of primers (OMP1, OMP2, OMP3, and OMP4). Five stages of pooling extraction were performed on 100 individual samples. The nPCR amplified a 437 bp DNA fragment from the fifth pool on the sampled heart, lung, and spleen. Furthermore, 10 individual samples from the fifth pool were re-tested by nPCR to find out the number of positive individual samples. Of 10 samples, the obtained result indicated the presence of C. burnetii DNA in 7 samples, 6 from Simmental cattle and 1 from Ongole cattle. Therefore, it can be strongly suspected that there are 7 out of 100 local breed beef cattle positive of Q fever at Boyolali Regency, Middle Java, Indonesia.