Researchers to use genomics to better understand hair shedding
*Update 28 June 2016: We have recruited all of the animals that we have funds to genotype. We are still happy to receive hair shedding scores, especially for animals with GE-EPDs. But, we will not be collecting any more DNA samples to genotype additional animals.
It’s time
to pick a new AI sire. You identify a promising sire, but then you are left
with a question. Will his daughters work in your environment and the
environment of your customers? A new research project lead by researchers at
the University of Missouri, Texas A&M, University of Arkansas and DeltaG
will use existing data to look for genetic adaptation to regional beef
production environments. Much of this research will look for gene-by-environment
interactions. When gene-by-environment interactions exist, some genetic
variants have large effects in some environments and small effects in others.
This leads to cattle that perform poorly in a certain environment, but well in
other conditions. Cattle poorly adapted to their environment result in lost
revenue and cause headaches for farmers and ranchers. One of the goals of this
research project will be to create region-specific genomic predictions, thus
helping farmers and ranchers match cattle genetics to their environment.
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| Pictures courtesy of Mississippi State University. |
A
portion of this project will focus on genome-wide analyses of adaptive traits,
such as hair shedding. The research team invites producers of registered cattle
to participate in this research. They request that producers commit to
participating in the project for 3 years (2016, 2017 and 2018). Of course,
cattle will enter and leave herds, but as much as possible, the project would like
to have 3 years of hair shedding scores on each animal. In 2016, producers
should collect a DNA sample (blood cards preferred) on animals in their herds
that are 1-year old or older. Please include farm/ranch name, herd ID, and
registration number on each blood card. In May or June of each year, each
animal is scored for hair shedding (see Hair
Shedding Scores). Each animal must be individually identified, for example
with an ear tag, tattoo, or freeze brand. Farmers and ranchers need to collect
samples and report data for every animal in their herd
older than 1 years of age (whole-herd reporting), and the herd must have a
minimum of 10 animals. Cattle must not have Zebu (Brahman) influence and must
be registered with a breed association utilizing genomic prediction (Angus,
Charolais, Gelbvieh, Hereford, Limousin, Red Angus, Shorthorn, or Simmental).
Producers are also required to submit weaning weight data to their breed
association on the progeny of cattle used in this project. Producers are
encouraged to visit https://missouri.box.com/HairSheddingSummary to learn more about data reporting
requirements. Producers from the Gulf Coast and Fescue Belt are encouraged to
participate (Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia,
North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Texas,
Oklahoma, Indiana, Illinois and Ohio). Also, producers from high altitudes who
would be willing to report pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) scores and hair
shedding scores are also encouraged to participate (for example, breeders in
New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana).
In return for participating in this
project, the research project will DNA test (genotype) your animals with a
panel that contains 200,000 DNA variants (SNPs). Approximately 30,000 of these
variants are shared across multiple genotyping panels and can be used to impute
missing genotypes (much like i50K or GGP-LD products). Imputation is the
process were a smaller number of DNA variants are used to infer the genotypes
at a larger number of variants based on patterns of inheritance (see https://youtu.be/mTd7pMN9nQo or http://bit.ly/2064dQm for more information).
We will
provide these genotypes to the producer’s breed association. The breed
association will then produce genomic-enhanced EPDs (GE-EPD) for the cattle
used in the hair shedding project (see Data
Sharing Schematic). Thus, for participating in the project for 3 years,
producers will receive GE-EPDs for their animals at a greatly reduced cost.
(Producers are responsible for purchasing needles, syringes, and shipping of
blood cards. The research project will pay all genotyping costs.) All producers are welcome to contribute phenotypic data (hair scores),
but genotyping will be limited to approximately 8,000 animals, so the research
team may not be able to genotype all submitted animals. Producers are also strongly encouraged
to submit hair shedding data on animals that already have GE-EPDs.
Please
contact Jared Decker or GeneSeek to order blank blood or hair cards for your
animals. Completed cards should be shipped to:
Jared Decker (Hair Shedding
Project)
S132B Animal Sciences Center
920 East Campus Drive
Columbia
MO 65211
For more
information about the project please contact Jared Decker at deckerje@missouri.edu or call 573-882-2504, your local
University of Missouri Livestock Specialist or your breed association staff.
Watch for a frequently asked questions section in a future post.
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