Genetic Association of <i>APOA5</i> and <i>AKT3</i> Genes with Milk Production Traits in Chinese Holstein Cows
Zijiao Guo,
Aixia Du,
Bo Han,
Hui Li,
Rugang Tian,
Wei Sun,
Gaoping Zhao,
Jing Tian,
Xiangnan Bao,
Jixin Zhang,
Lingna Xu,
Dongxiao Sun
Affiliations
Zijiao Guo
Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, State Key Laboratory of Animal Biotech Breeding, China Agricultural University, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100193, China
Aixia Du
Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, State Key Laboratory of Animal Biotech Breeding, China Agricultural University, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100193, China
Bo Han
Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, State Key Laboratory of Animal Biotech Breeding, China Agricultural University, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100193, China
Hui Li
Inner Mongolia Academy of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Sciences, Hohhot 010031, China
Rugang Tian
Inner Mongolia Academy of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Sciences, Hohhot 010031, China
Wei Sun
Inner Mongolia SK Xing Animal Breeding and Breeding Biotechnology Research Institute Co., Ltd., Hohhot 011517, China
Gaoping Zhao
Inner Mongolia SK Xing Animal Breeding and Breeding Biotechnology Research Institute Co., Ltd., Hohhot 011517, China
Jing Tian
Inner Mongolia Academy of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Sciences, Hohhot 010031, China
Xiangnan Bao
Inner Mongolia SK Xing Animal Breeding and Breeding Biotechnology Research Institute Co., Ltd., Hohhot 011517, China
Jixin Zhang
Inner Mongolia XuYi Animal Husbandry Co., Ltd., Bayannur 015000, China
Lingna Xu
Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, State Key Laboratory of Animal Biotech Breeding, China Agricultural University, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100193, China
Dongxiao Sun
Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, State Key Laboratory of Animal Biotech Breeding, China Agricultural University, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100193, China
Genome selection (GS) technology is an important means to improve the genetic improvement of dairy cows, and the mining and application of functional genes and loci for important traits is one of the important bases for accelerating genetic improvement. Our previous study found that the apolipoprotein A5 (APOA5) and AKT serine/threonine kinase 3 (AKT3) genes were differentially expressed in the liver tissue of Chinese Holstein cows at different lactation stages and influenced milk component synthesis and metabolism, so we considered these two genes as the candidates affecting milk production traits. In this study, we found in total six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), three in APOA5 and three in AKT3. Subsequent association analysis showed that the six SNPs were significantly associated with milk yield, fat yield, protein yield, or fat percentage (p ≤ 0.05). Three SNPs in APOA5 formed a haplotype block, which was found to be significantly associated with milk yield, fat yield, and protein yield (p ≤ 0.05). In addition, four SNPs were proposed to be functional mutations affecting the milk production phenotype, of which three, 15:g.27446527C>T and 15:g.27447741A>G in APOA5 and 16:g.33367767T>C in AKT3, might change the transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs), and one is a missense mutation, 15:g.27445825T>C in APOA5, which could alter the secondary structure and stability of mRNA and protein. In summary, we demonstrated the genetic effects of APOA5 and AKT3 on milk production traits, and the valuable SNPs could be used as available genetic markers for dairy cattle’s GS.
