Bovine thyroglobulin gene polymorphisms and their association with sexual precocity in Guzerat bulls

Abstract

Puberty is a stage of sexual development determined by the interaction of environmental factors and genetic mechanisms. Among them, thyroid function plays a key role in sexual development and spermatogenic function and is under the control of several genes, including the well-described thyroglobulin gene (TG). Previous reports have shown genetic association between thyroid function and selected single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in taurine cattle. Therefore, the identification of genetic mechanisms involved in the regulation of this trait can assist with the selection for early pubertal bulls, thus improving genetic progress in livestock breeding. The aim of this study was to validate the association between TG SNPs and age at puberty in zebuine bulls. Three SNPs (rs110406764, rs109662686, rs109057985) were genotyped in 159 Guzerat animals using SEQUENOM technology. Results showed a significant association (p < .05) between the studied SNPs and puberty age, in agreement with our previous reports in a taurine breed. Interestingly, allele frequencies were different from those already reported, being GAT the most favourable allele for age at puberty in Guzerat (94.4 days lower). Overall, our findings corroborate previous reports and reinforce the importance of genetic influence in the regulation of sexual development and puberty through a thyroid pathway in zebuine cattle.

Combining multi-OMICs information to identify key-regulator genes for pleiotropic effect on fertility and production traits in beef cattle

“…Additionally, changes in the levels of thyroid hormones during pregnancy, mainly in the initial development of the embryos, are associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes and embryonic losses [ 86 ]. Moreover, alterations in thyroid activity may result in male and female infertility [ 19 , 87 ].…”

“…The biological process responsible for sexual maturity, known as puberty, involves complex pathways that are regulated by several genes involved with the development of a wide variety of phenotypes [ 18 ]. Crucial biological structures for puberty development, e.g., hypothalamus, pituitary gland and thyroid, are involved in the regulation of synthesis and secretion of several hormones directly related to production traits [ 19 – 21 ]. Therefore, a deep investigation of the biological processes related to genes involved in puberty may result in the identification of key regulator genes for both fertility and production traits.…”

Genome‐wide association study and pathway analysis for fat deposition traits in nellore cattle raised in pasture–based systems

“…Moreover, AADAT in correlation with thyroid hormones (T3 and T4) enable the oxidative deamination of alanine from T3 and T4, producing pyruvic acid (Kumar & Prasad, 2003). Thyroid hormones can influence the growth rate of the animal, since T3 and T4 are involved in the regulation and synthesis of several hormones related to production traits, such as sexual precocity in Guzerat cattle (Fernández et al., 2017).…”

Genome‐wide association study for age at puberty in young Nelore bulls

“…The IGF‐1 (Lirón et al, ), MIR551B , MECOM (Fernández et al, ), ISL1, PELO, FST and SPZ1 genes (Fernández et al, ) have been associated with timing of puberty in Angus bulls. Polymorphisms in thyroglobulin (TG) and follicle‐stimulating hormone receptor ( FSHR ) genes have been associated with age at puberty in Guzerat (Fernández et al, ) and Nelore (Milazzotto et al, ) bulls, respectively.…”

“…The IGF-1 (Lirón et al, 2012), MIR551B, MECOM (Fernández et al, 2015), ISL1, PELO, FST and SPZ1 genes (Fernández et al, 2015) have been associated with timing of puberty in Angus bulls. Polymorphisms in thyroglobulin (TG) and follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) genes have been associated with age at puberty in Guzerat (Fernández et al, 2017) and Nelore (Milazzotto et al, 2008) bulls, respectively. In this work, we performed a genome-wide association study to detect genomic regions and putative candidate genes related to age at puberty in Nelore bulls. The elucidation of genes and molecular mechanisms controlling this trait should provide a better understanding of the genetic regulation of reproductive performance and could promote earlier prediction of puberty in young bulls that would speed up genetic breeding programmes.…”