The growth endocrine axis influences reproduction. The objectives of this study were to evaluate population genetic characteristics of SNP genotypes within genes of the GH-IGF axis in straightbred and crossbred Angus, Brahman, and Romosinuano heifers (n = 650) and to test the association of these genotypes with measures of reproduction. These objectives were achieved using 73 SNP within 7 genes on chromosome 5 and the pregnancy-associated plasma protein A2 (PAPP-A2) and GH-receptor genes, which map to chromosomes 16 and 20, respectively. The SNP were elucidated by resequencing conserved regions of each gene by using DNA from familial-unrelated cattle of a multibreed discovery population. A multiplex SNP assay yielded 59 biallelic SNP useful for evaluating genetic identity and distance. Specifically, the divergence of straightbred Brahman cattle was approximately 15.5% from 5 Bos taurus-influenced breed groups. In the straightbred groups used as a validation population, only 3 SNP had minor allele frequencies >10%. These SNP were in the genes PAPP-A2 (ss115492449-A/C and ss115492450-G/T within intron 10) and signal transducers and activators of transcription 2 (STAT2; ss252841035-A/G within the 5' untranslated region), and they met the conditions of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (P > 0.31). The other 56 SNP were useful for assigning each animal into ancestral clusters (n = 3 proportions) to account for population stratification in genotype to phenotype association analyses. The 2 SNP in the PAPP-A2 gene influenced (P < 0.05) traits indicative of first-calf heifer rebreeding (i.e., calving interval, days to calving, and pregnancy rate). A STAT2 SNP genotype (i.e., GG) × primary ancestral cluster interaction (P < 0.05) suggested heifers primarily of B. taurus ancestry had a reduction of approximately 16.4 ± 0.1% in calving interval and days to calving relative to heifers clustering primarily as Bos indicus ancestry. Even though additional research is needed to delineate the allelic variation attributed to genes of the GH-IGF axis, results of this study provide support for STAT2 and PAPP-A2 as potential candidate genes associated with first-calf heifer rebreeding traits.

ABSTRACT. Fertility traits, such as heifer pregnancy, are economically important in cattle production systems, and are therefore, used in genetic selection programs. The aim of this study was to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) data from ovary, uterus, endometrium, pituitary gland, hypothalamus, liver, longissimus dorsi muscle, and adipose tissue in 62 candidate genes associated with heifer puberty in cattle. RNA-Seq reads were assembled to the bovine reference genome (UMD 3.1.1) and analyzed in five cattle breeds; Brangus, Brahman, Nellore, Angus, and Holstein. Two approaches used the Brangus data for SNP discovery 1) pooling all samples, and 2) within each individual sample. These approaches revealed 1157 SNPs. These were compared with those identified in the pooled samples of the other breeds. Overall, 172 SNPs within 13 genes (CPNE5, FAM19A4, FOXN4, KLF1, LOC777593, MGC157266, NEBL, NRXN3, PEPT-1, PPP3CA, SCG5, TSG101, and TSHR) were concordant in the five breeds. Using Ensembl's Variant Effector Predictor, we determined that 12% of SNPs were in exons (71% synonymous, 29% nonsynonymous), 1% were in untranslated regions (UTRs), 86% were in introns, and 1% were in intergenic regions. Since these SNPs were discovered in RNA, the variants were predicted to be within exons or UTRs. Overall, 160 novel transcripts in 42 candidate genes and five novel genes overlapping five candidate genes were observed. In conclusion, 1157 SNPs were identified in 62 candidate genes associated with puberty in Brangus cattle, of which, 172 were concordant in the five cattle breeds. Novel transcripts and genes were also identified.

Prolactin (PRL), growth hormone (GH), and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) are in hormone-response pathways involved in energy metabolism during thermoregulation processes in cattle. Objective herein was to study the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) within genes of the PRL and GH/IGF-1 pathways with fertility traits such as services per conception (SPC) and days open (DO) in Holstein cattle lactating under a hot-humid climate. Ambient temperature and relative humidity were used to calculate the temperature-humidity index (THI) which revealed that the cows were exposed to heat stress conditions from June to November of 2012 in southern Sonora, Mexico. Individual blood samples from all cows were collected, spotted on FTA cards, and used to genotype a 179 tag SNP panel within 44 genes from the PRL and GH/IGF-1 pathways. The associative analyses among SNP genotypes and fertility traits were performed using mixed-effect models. Allele substitution effects were calculated using a regression model that included the genotype term as covariate. Single-SNP association analyses indicated that eight SNP within the genes IGF-1, IGF-1R, IGFBP5, PAPPA1, PMCH, PRLR, SOCS5, and SSTR2 were associated with SPC (P < 0.05), whereas four SNP in the genes GHR, PAPPA2, PRLR, and SOCS4 were associated with DO (P < 0.05). In conclusion, SNP within genes of the PRL and GH/IGF-1 pathways resulted as predictors of reproductive phenotypes in heat-stressed Holstein cows, and these SNP are proposed as candidates for a marker-assisted selection program intended to improve fertility of dairy cattle raised in warm climates.

Balancing growth and reproductive performance in beef cattle managed in desert environments is challenging. Our objectives were to 1) evaluate trends in growth and reproductive traits, and 2) assess associative relationships between growth characteristics and reproductive performance in a Brangus herd managed in a Chihuahuan Desert production system from 1972 to 2006. Data were from bull (n = 597) and heifer calves (n = 585; 1988 to 2006) and cows (n = 525; repeated records of cows, n = 2,611; 1972 to 2006). Variables describing the growth curve of each cow were estimated using a nonlinear logistic function (each cow needed 6 yr of data). Mixed-effect models and logistic regression were used to analyze trends across years in growth and reproductive traits (both continuous and categorical). For continuous traits of calves, a slight cubic response (P < 0.01) described the dynamics of birth weight, 205-d BW, and 365-d BW across years. For categorical traits of females, positive linear trends (P < 0.05) across years were observed in percent pregnant as yearlings, calved at 2 yr of age, and first-calf heifer rebreeding (slopes ranged from 0.007 to 0.014%/yr). Autumn cow BW increased gradually until 1997 (509 kg +/- 8.8) and then decreased gradually by 0.6 kg/yr, whereas pregnancy percentage decreased gradually until 1995 (78.4% +/- 1.0) and then increased slightly by 0.2%/yr. A quadratic effect best described the dynamics of these 2 variables across years (P < 0.01) as well as estimates describing the growth curve of each cow. Specifically, asymptotic BW and age increased (P < 0.05) from 1972 to 1983 and 1990, respectively. Asymptotic age then decreased by 27% from 1983 to 1996 (P < 0.05). The maturing rate index was negatively correlated with age at first calving and calving interval (r = -0.42 and -0.18, P < 0.01), which suggested that early-maturing cows had enhanced fertility in this environment and production system. In summary, minimal changes were observed in measures of growth in bulls and heifers in a Brangus herd managed in the Chihuahuan Desert. Opposing relationships were observed among measures of cow size and fertility; as growth curves shifted toward earlier maturity, measures of reproductive performance suggested that fertility improved.

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