Novel genes involved in the genetic architecture of temperament in Brahman cattle

Abstract

Cattle temperament is a complex and economically relevant trait. The objective of this study was to identify genomic regions and genes associated with cattle temperament. From a Brahman cattle population of 1,370 animals evaluated for temperament traits (Exit velocity-EV, Pen Score-PS, Temperament Score-TS), two groups of temperament-contrasting animals were identified based on their EV-average values ±1/2 standard deviation (SD). To be considered in the calm group, the EV of females ranged between 0.16-1.82 m/s (n = 50) and the EV of males ranged between 0.4-1.56 m/s (n = 48). Females were classified as temperamental if their EV ranged between 3.13-7.66 m/s (n = 46) and males were classified as temperamental if their EV ranged between 3.05-10.83 m/s (n = 45). Selected animals were genotyped using a total of 139,376 SNPs (GGP-HD-150K), evaluated for their association with EV. The Genome-Wide Association analysis (GWAS) identified fourteen SNPs:

Influence of temperament on performance and carcass quality of commercial Brahman steers in a Colombian tropical grazing system

“…However, carcass yield was significantly higher in the nervous animals than in the restless ones, but did not differ from that of calm steers. These results are relevant since a few recent studies have underlined the importance of animal temperament in beef cattle produced in tropical and subtropical regions on grazing systems (Guimarães et al, 2020;Paredes-Sánchez et al, 2020). In this context, cattle temperament is a trait that exerts a marked influence on the beef cattle grazing production system in Colombia because handling on farms has direct repercussions on the profitability of rural enterprises, implying less labor and improved work safety, with consequent benefits for animal welfare (Barrozo et al, 2012).…”

Genome-Wide Selection Signatures and Human-Mediated Introgression Events in Bos taurus indicus-influenced Composite Beef Cattle

“…Five genes were common among the candidate genes with EBT ancestry ( Supplementary Figure S2 ). Among them, Neurexin 3 ( NRXN3 ) is involved in the genetic architecture of cattle temperament ( Paredes-Sánchez et al, 2020 ). NRXN3 is a member of the Neurexins family that are cell adhesion molecules in the nervous system to specify and stabilize excitatory and inhibitory synapses ( Aoto et al, 2013 ).…”

Adrenergic Tone as an Intermediary in the Temperament Syndrome Associated With Flight Speed in Beef Cattle

“…Several further points are noteworthy. Early studies on temperament in cattle and other farm animal species focused (Valente et al, 2016;Dos Santos et al, 2017;Garza-Brenner et al, 2017;Chen et al, 2020;Costilla et al, 2020;Paredes-Sánchez et al, 2020 on consistent individual differences in behavior during handling (Tulloh, 1961;Burrow et al, 1988;Grandin, 1993). Nonetheless, it was also recognized that temperament is an enduring characteristic of the animal that persists in the absence of humans (Lyons et al, 1988;Sebastian et al, 2011) and which "represents an individual's basic stance toward continuing changes and challenges in its environment" (Mason, 1984), cited by (Lyons et al, 1988).…”