Investigating Genetic Characteristics of Chinese Holstein Cow’s Milk Somatic Cell Score by Genetic Parameter Estimation and Genome-Wide Association

Xubin Lu, Hui Jiang, Abdelaziz Adam Idriss Arbab, Bo Wang, Dingding Liu, Ismail Mohamed Abdalla, Tianle Xu, Yujia Sun, Zongping Liu and Zhangping Yang ()
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Xubin Lu: College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Hui Jiang: College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Abdelaziz Adam Idriss Arbab: College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Bo Wang: College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Dingding Liu: College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Ismail Mohamed Abdalla: College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Tianle Xu: Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Yujia Sun: Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Zongping Liu: College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Zhangping Yang: College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China

Agriculture, 2023, vol. 13, issue 2, 1-17

Abstract: The quality and safety of milk is challenged by cow mastitis, and the value of somatic cell score (SCS) in milk is closely related to the occurrence of mastitis. This study aimed to analyze the genetic characteristics of SCS across the first three parities in Chinese Holstein cattle, as well as to investigate potential candidate genes and biological processes that may play a potential role in the progress of cow mastitis. In this respect, we evaluated genetic parameters and conducted a genome-wide association study based on the test-day records of SCS for Chinese Holstein cows; we also validated key candidate genes using a quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) experiment in primary bovine mammary epithelial cells (bMECs). The heritability of the SCS 305-day performance in milk varied between 0.07 and 0.24, and decreased with increasing parity. As the time interval grew larger, the genetic and permanent environmental correlations with the number of days in milk (DIM) weakened. Six significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified in the association analysis, one of which was located within the exonic region of CD44 . This exon-associated SNP may modify the activity of the protein encoded by the CD44 . A total of 32 genes within the two hundred kilobase (kb) range of significant SNPs were detected, and these genes were markedly enriched in eight Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways and 22 biological processes, mainly participating in the progress of transmembrane transport, inflammatory factor regulation, cellular responses, the Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, and the MAPK signaling pathway. Nine genes, including the PKD2 , KCNAB1 , SLC35A4 , SPP1 , IBSP , CD14 , CD44 , MAPK10 , and ABCG2 genes, were selected as candidate genes that could have critical functions in cow mastitis. These findings can serve as a foundation for molecular breeding and as valuable data for reducing the incidence of mastitis of Chinese Holstein cattle at the molecular level.

Keywords: SCS; Chinese Holstein; genetic parameters; GWAS; primary bovine mammary epithelial cells (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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