A chromosome-wide QTL study on BTA29 affecting temperament traits in German Angus beef cattle and mapping of DRD4

Abstract

The behaviour of beef cattle is important for the safety and welfare of stockmen and animals. Ten microsatellites spanning BTA29 and, in addition, the candidate gene, dopamine receptor D4 gene, were analysed in 545 German Angus calves of six sires and included in a quantitative trait locus (QTL) study on the basis of three different behaviour tests. A putative QTL for the score while entering the scale (ScE) was detected at BMS764. The DRD4 fragment was mapped in the distal region of BTA29 15.3 cM distal of ILSTS081. The results clearly indicate that BTA29 with a putative QTL in the proximal part and the candidate gene, DRD4, in the distal part plays an important role in the regulation of temperament. During the study one of the sires was detected to be a blood chimera.Keywords: behaviour, cattle, BTA29, DRD4, chimerism ImplicationsDue to the importance of cattle behaviour and its economic aspects, it is relevant to know the genetic background of behaviour, especially in beef cattle. Current knowledge about chromosomal regions/genes influencing behaviour in cattle is very limited. Therefore, this study is a first step in the identification of responsible regions within the genome as base for the identification of candidate genes to be included in future breeding programmes. IntroductionIn stock breeding of beef cattle the contact between human and animals is reduced and so the instinctive behaviour of the cattle is very important. An aggressive and/or nervous animal presents a danger to the stockmen, to other animals and to itself. The behaviour or temperament itself is described as the reaction of an animal to human interactions (Burrow, 1997), no matter whether it is beef or dairy cattle. Heritability estimates of temperament traits on the basis of behavioural tests range between 0.0 and 0.59 in German Simmental, 0.0 and 0.61 in German Angus (Gauly et al., 2001) and 0.03 in Hereford and Simmental (Hearnshaw and Morris, 198), respectively.A quantitative trait locus (QTL) for behaviour during milking in Holstein-Friesian cows was identified in a whole genome scan at BMS764 at BTA29 (Hiendleder et al., 2003).In Canadian beef cattle, QTL for behaviour, measured as movement reaction to isolation, was detected at BTA1, 5, 9, 11, 14 and 15 (Schmutz et al., 2001). In a Holstein 3 Charolais cross cattle population, temperament traits were analysed in two different tests and QTL for these on 17 chromosomes including BTA29 were identified (Gutiérrez-Gil et al., 2008).The dopamine receptor D4 gene (DRD4) is involved in curiosity behaviour and novelty seeking in different mammals such as mice (Rubinstein et al., 1997), dogs (Niimi et al., 1999, horses (Momozawa et al., 2005) and birds (Fidler et al., 2007). In humans, DRD4 is also associated with novelty seeking, an aspect of human temperament (Keltikangas-Jarvinen et al., 2003). On the basis of cattle-human comparative mapping, this gene seems to be located at BTA29 (Larkin et al., 2003). This was confirmed by radiation hybrid mapping of a partial sequence of bovine DRD4 ...

Genetics of cattle temperament and its impact on livestock production and breeding – a review

“…Aberrations concerning rearing conditions and cattle breeds (Hoppe et al, 2010) as well as different evaluations of behaviour phenotypes and different marker densities complicate the comparability between studies and must be taken into account. Nevertheless, overlapping QTL were found between the studies, especially on BTA29 (Hiendleder et al, 2003;Gutiérrez-Gil et al, 2008;Glenske et al, 2011).…”

“…A prominent candidate gene, the dopamine receptor D4 gene (DRD4) has been associated with behavioural traits like novelty seeking and curiosity in humans and different animals (Bailey et al, 2007;Munafò et al, 2008;Korsten et al, 2010). In cattle, DRD4 can be mapped to the distal part of BTA29 (Glenske et al, 2011), but no QTL or direct association for temperament in cattle have been identified in this region so far. Another widely discussed functional candidate gene is the monoamine oxidase A (MAO A) gene, which degrades catecholamines like serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine (Shih et al, 1999).…”

Genetic analysis and evaluation of behavioural traits in cattle

“…Moreover, Glenske et al (2011) reported a low relationship between the dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4) gene located near QTL for behavioural traits on chromosome 29, and temperament of German Angus cattle. A study using the expression of the leucocyte heat shock protein (Hsp) gene for early detection of the subclinical signs of bovine respiratory disease complex (BRD) confirmed that this gene is associated with stress response of animals (Eitam et al, 2010).…”

Bovine dopamine receptors DRD1, DRD4, and DRD5: genetic polymorphisms and diversities among ten cattle breeds

“…A significant observation in our study of this marker is that, even though there is no significant specific allele segregation between the genetic groups, the distribution of allelic frequencies indicated that allele G was the most frequent in the B. t. indicus breeds, while allele T was most frequent in B. t. taurus breeds. This distribution pattern is interesting from a phenotypic point of view because Glenske et al (2011) found that genotype TT was associated with lower curiosity scores in the German Angus breed. Curiosity is a trait related with social behavior including novelty seeking (Momozawa et al, 2005).…”

“…Due to the absence of complete reported nucleotide sequences for DRD4 gene, we genotyped the SNP located at intron 1 of bovine DRD4 gene previously reported by Glenske et al (2011). DNA from these samples and an additional 199 bovine hair samples obtained from different herds and breeds (B. t. taurus: Holstein, Charolais, Simmental, Lidia, and Wagyu; B. t. indicus: Brahman, Gyr, Sardo Negro, Guzerat, and Indubrasil) located at Mexico, was isolated using the Wizard® genomic DNA purification kit (Promega Corporation, Madison, WI, USA).…”