Determination of actual polymorphisms responsible for economic trait variation in dairy cattle
Authors: Weller Joel I. , Bickhart Derek M. , Ron Micha , Seroussi Eyal , Liu George , Wiggans George R. 
Published: January 2022

The project’s general objectives were to determine specific polymorphisms at the DNA level responsible for observed quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and to estimate their effects, frequencies, and selection potential in the Holstein dairy cattle breed. The specific objectives were to (1) localize the causative polymorphisms to small chromosomal segments based on analysis of 52 U.S. Holstein bulls each with at least 100 sons with high-reliability genetic evaluations using the a posteriori granddaughter design; (2) sequence the complete genomes of at least 40 of those bulls to 20 coverage; (3) determine causative polymorphisms based on concordance between the bulls’ genotypes for specific polymorphisms and their status for a QTL; (4) validate putative quantitative trait variants by genotyping a sample of Israeli Holstein cows; and (5) perform gene expression analysis using statistical methodologies, including determination of signatures of selection, based on somatic cells of cows that are homozygous for contrasting quantitative trait variants; and (6) analyze genes with putative quantitative trait variants using data mining techniques. Current methods for genomic evaluation are based on population-wide linkage disequilibrium between markers and actual alleles that affect traits of interest. Those methods have approximately doubled the rate of genetic gain for most traits in the U.S. Holstein population. With determination of causative polymorphisms, increasing the accuracy of genomic evaluations should be possible by including those genotypes as fixed effects in the analysis models. Determination of causative polymorphisms should also yield useful information on gene function and genetic architecture of complex traits. Concordance between QTL genotype as determined by the a posteriori granddaughter design and marker genotype was determined for 30 trait-by-chromosomal segment effects that are segregating in the U.S. Holstein population; a probability of <10²⁰ was used to accept the null hypothesis that no segregating gene within the chromosomal segment was affecting the trait. Genotypes for 83 grandsires and 17,217 sons were determined by either complete sequence or imputation for 3,148,506 polymorphisms across the entire genome. Variant sites were identified from previous studies (such as the 1000 Bull Genomes Project) and from DNA sequencing of bulls unique to this project, which is one of the largest marker variant surveys conducted for the Holstein breed of cattle. Effects for stature on chromosome 11, daughter pregnancy rate on chromosome 18, and protein percentage on chromosome 20 met 3 criteria: (1) complete or nearly complete concordance, (2) nominal significance of the polymorphism effect after correction for all other polymorphisms, and (3) marker coefficient of determination >40% of total multiple-regression coefficient of determination for the 30 polymorphisms with highest concordance. The missense polymorphism Phe279Tyr in GHR at 31,909,478 base pairs on chromosome 20 was confirmed as the causative mutation for fat and protein concentration. For effect on fat percentage, 12 additional missensepolymorphisms on chromosome 14 were found that had nearly complete concordance with the suggested causative polymorphism (missense mutation Ala232Glu in DGAT1). The markers used in routine U.S. genomic evaluations were increased from 60,000 to 80,000 by adding markers for known QTLs and markers detected in BARD and other research projects. Objectives 1 and 2 were completely accomplished, and objective 3 was partially accomplished. Because no new clear-cut causative polymorphisms were discovered, objectives 4 through 6 were not completed.