Genetic Variability of Methane Production and Concentration Measured in the Breath of Polish Holstein-Friesian Cattle
The genetic architecture of methane (CH<sub>4</sub>) production remains largely unknown. We aimed to estimate its heritability and to perform genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for the identification of candidate genes associated with two phenotypes: CH<sub>4</sub> in par...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | article |
| Language: | EN |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2021
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doaj.org/article/80b7c6c7b90c48f38b6193b763941024 |
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| Summary: | The genetic architecture of methane (CH<sub>4</sub>) production remains largely unknown. We aimed to estimate its heritability and to perform genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for the identification of candidate genes associated with two phenotypes: CH<sub>4</sub> in parts per million/day (CH<sub>4</sub> ppm/d) and CH<sub>4</sub> in grams/day (CH<sub>4</sub> g/d). We studied 483 Polish Holstein-Friesian cows kept on two commercial farms in Poland. Measurements of CH<sub>4</sub> and carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>) concentrations exhaled by cows during milking were obtained using gas analyzers installed in the automated milking system on the farms. Genomic analyses were performed using a single-step BLUP approach. The percentage of genetic variance explained by SNPs was calculated for each SNP separately and then for the windows of neighbouring SNPs. The heritability of CH<sub>4</sub> ppm/d ranged from 0 to 0.14, with an average of 0.085. The heritability of CH<sub>4</sub> g/d ranged from 0.13 to 0.26, with an average of 0.22. The GWAS detected potential candidate SNPs on BTA 14 which explained ~0.9% of genetic variance for CH<sub>4</sub> ppm/d and ~1% of genetic variance for CH<sub>4</sub> g/d. All identified SNPs were located in the TRPS1 gene. We showed that methane traits are partially controlled by genes; however, the detected SNPs explained only a small part of genetic variation—implying that both CH<sub>4</sub> ppm/d and CH<sub>4</sub> g/d are highly polygenic traits. |
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