Volume 142, Issue 1 pp. 57-68
ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Genomic analysis of genotype–environment interaction in age at first calving of Murrah buffaloes

Jessica Cristina Gonçalves dos Santos

Jessica Cristina Gonçalves dos Santos

Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias de Jaboticabal – UNESP, Jaboticabal, São Paulo, Brazil

Search for more papers by this author
Francisco Ribeiro de Araujo Neto

Corresponding Author

Francisco Ribeiro de Araujo Neto

Instituto Federal de Ciência e Tecnologia Goiano – IFGoiano, Rio Verde, Goiás, Brazil

Correspondence

Francisco Ribeiro de Araujo Neto, Instituto Federal de Ciências e Tecnologia Goiano - IFGoiano, Rio Verde, Goiãs, Brazil.

Email: [email protected]

Search for more papers by this author
Leonardo de Oliveira Seno

Leonardo de Oliveira Seno

Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados, Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

Search for more papers by this author
Daniel Jordan de Abreu Santos

Daniel Jordan de Abreu Santos

Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias de Jaboticabal – UNESP, Jaboticabal, São Paulo, Brazil

Search for more papers by this author
Katryne Jordana de Oliveira

Katryne Jordana de Oliveira

Instituto Federal de Ciência e Tecnologia Goiano – IFGoiano, Rio Verde, Goiás, Brazil

Search for more papers by this author
Rusbel Raul Aspilcueta-Borquis

Rusbel Raul Aspilcueta-Borquis

Universidade Tecnológica Federal Do Paraná – UFTPR, Dois Vizinhos, Paraná, Brazil

Search for more papers by this author
Henrique Nunes de Oliveira

Henrique Nunes de Oliveira

Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias de Jaboticabal – UNESP, Jaboticabal, São Paulo, Brazil

Search for more papers by this author
Humberto Tonhati

Humberto Tonhati

Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias de Jaboticabal – UNESP, Jaboticabal, São Paulo, Brazil

Search for more papers by this author
First published: 04 June 2024
Citations: 1

Abstract

Age at first calving (AFC) is a measure of sexual maturity associated with the start of productive life of dairy animals. Additionally, a lower AFC reduces the generation interval and early culling of females. However, AFC has low heritability, making it a trait highly influenced by environmental factors. In this scenario, one way to improve the reproductive performance of buffalo cows is to select robust animals according to estimated breeding value (EBV) using models that include genotype–environment interaction (GEI) with the application of reaction norm models (RNMs). This can be achieved by understanding the genomic basis related to GEI of AFC. Thus, in this study, we aimed to predict EBV considering GEI via the RNM and identify candidate genes related to this component in dairy buffaloes through genome-wide association studies (GWAS). We used 1795 AFC records from three Murrah buffalo herds and formed environmental gradients (EGs) from contemporary group solutions obtained from genetic analysis of 270-day cumulative milk yield. Heritability estimates ranged from 0.15 to 0.39 along the EG. GWAS of the RNM slope parameter identified important genomic regions. The genomic window that explained the highest percentage of genetic variance of the slope (0.67%) was located on BBU1. After functional analysis, five candidate genes were detected, involved in two biological processes. The results suggested the existence of a GEI for AFC in Murrah buffaloes, with reclassification of animals when different environmental conditions were considered. The inclusion of genomic information increased the accuracy of breeding values for the intercept and slope of the reaction norm. GWAS analysis suggested that important genes associated with the AFC reaction norm slope were possibly also involved in biological processes related to lipid metabolism and immunity.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT

The authors declare no competing interests.

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

The full text of this article hosted at iucr.org is unavailable due to technical difficulties.