Affiliation:
1. Key Laboratory of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau Animal Genetic Resource Reservation and Utilization, Ministry of Education and Sichuan Province, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu 610041, China
2. Qinghai Academy of Animal Science and Veterinary Science, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China
Abstract
Yaks have evolved several breeds or genetic resources owing to their geographical and ecological environment, and investigating the genetic construction of body size among breeds is key for breeding. Here, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed for five body size traits in 31 yak breeds and genetic resources. The information from clustering individuals according to their habitats was used for kinship grouping in the compressed mixed linear model (CMLM). We named this approach the pCMLM method. A total of 3,584,464 high-quality single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were obtained, and six markers were found to be significantly associated with height by pCMLM. Four candidate genes, including FXYD6, SOHLH2, ADGRB2, and OSBPL6, were identified. Our results show that when CMLM cannot identify optimal clustering groups, pCMLM can provide sufficient associated results based on population information. Moreover, this study provides basic information on the gene localization of quantitative traits of body size among yak breeds.
Funder
Qinghai Science and Technology Program, China
Sichuan Science and Technology Program, China
Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of Southwest Minzu University, China
Program of Chinese National Beef Cattle and Yak Industrial Technology System, China
Subject
General Veterinary,Animal Science and Zoology