1,273 research outputs found
Runs of homozygosity in Swiss goats reveal genetic changes associated with domestication and modern selection
No full textBackground: The domestication of goat (Capra hircus) started 11,000 years ago in the fertile crescent. Breed formation in the nineteenth century, establishment of herd books, and selection for specific traits resulted in 10 modern goat breeds in Switzerland. We analyzed whole‑genome sequencing (WGS) data from 217 modern goats and nine wild Bezoar goats (Capra aegagrus). After quality control, 27,728,288 biallelic single nucleotide variants (SNVs) were used for the identification of runs of homozygosity (ROH) and the detection of ROH islands. Results: Across the 226 caprine genomes from 11 populations, we detected 344 ROH islands that harbor 1220 annotated genes. We compared the ROH islands between the modern breeds and the Bezoar goats. As a proof of principle, we confirmed a signature of selection, which contains the ASIP gene that controls several breed‑specific coat color patterns. In two other ROH islands, we identified two missense variants, STC1:p.Lys139Arg and TSHR:p.Ala239Thr, which might represent causative functional variants for domestication signatures. Conclusions: We have shown that the information from ROH islands using WGS data is suitable for the analysis of signatures of selection and allowed the detection of protein coding variants that may have conferred beneficial phenotypes during goat domestication. We hypothesize that the TSHR:p.Ala239Thr variant may have played a role in changing the seasonality of reproduction in modern domesticated goats. The exact functional significance of the STC1:p.Lys139Arg variant remains unclear and requires further investigation. Nonetheless, STC1 might represent a new domestication gene affecting relevant traits such as body size and/or milk yield in goats
A Genome-Wide Association Study Reveals Loci Influencing Height and Other Conformation Traits in Horses
No full textThe molecular analysis of genes influencing human height has been notoriously difficult. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for height in humans based on tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of samples so far revealed ∼200 loci for human height explaining only 20% of the heritability. In domestic animals isolated populations with a greatly reduced genetic heterogeneity facilitate a more efficient analysis of complex traits. We performed a genome-wide association study on 1,077 Franches-Montagnes (FM) horses using ∼40,000 SNPs. Our study revealed two QTL for height at withers on chromosomes 3 and 9. The association signal on chromosome 3 is close to the LCORL/NCAPG genes. The association signal on chromosome 9 is close to the ZFAT gene. Both loci have already been shown to influence height in humans. Interestingly, there are very large intergenic regions at the association signals. The two detected QTL together explain ∼18.2% of the heritable variation of height in horses. However, another large fraction of the variance for height in horses results from ECA 1 (11.0%), although the association analysis did not reveal significantly associated SNPs on this chromosome. The QTL region on ECA 3 associated with height at withers was also significantly associated with wither height, conformation of legs, ventral border of mandible, correctness of gaits, and expression of the head. The region on ECA 9 associated with height at withers was also associated with wither height, length of croup and length of back. In addition to these two QTL regions on ECA 3 and ECA 9 we detected another QTL on ECA 6 for correctness of gaits. Our study highlights the value of domestic animal populations for the genetic analysis of complex traits
gene in relation to body size of goats from Switzerland
No full textThis follow-up study aimed to investigate the previously postulated possible association between truncating variants in the LCORL gene and larger body size in goats. We have clearly shown that body size in Boer goat is obviously not associated with the frameshift variant previously found in large-sized Pakistani goat breeds, nor with a second LCORL frameshift variant studied. However, we found suggestive evidence of genotype–phenotype association for three other breed-specific truncating variants in the LCORL with withers height and other body size traits in selected cohorts of four different local Swiss goat breeds. Due to the small sample size and the low to moderate frequency of variant alleles, we consider these results preliminary before claiming causality. Nevertheless, these initial results in Swiss goats support the evidence previously shown in dogs for a direct effect on stature due to loss-of-function variants leading to the absence of the functionally important DNA-binding domain of the long LCORL isoform. Therefore, the research should continue with enlarged cohorts of well-phenotyped animals
Aktuelles zur Genetik der Ziegenmilch
No full textSeit der vor 2 Jahren erfolgten Umstellung der Abstammungskontrolle auf SNP-Daten werden routinemässig Zusatztests für züchterisch interessante Merkmale durchgeführt und im CapraNet ausgewiesen. Dieser Artikel liefert eine aktuelle Übersicht zur Verbreitung der bislang bekannten Allele mit Einfluss auf den Eiweiss- und Fettgehalt in der Milch und zeigt auf, wie unterschiedlich die Situation in den verschiedenen Schweizer Herdebuchrassen ist
Variantes de protéines dans le lait de chèvre: une mise à jour
No full textFür züchterisch interessante Merkmale stehen zunehmend Daten aus Gentests zur Verfügung. Mit den Daten zu den Alpha-S1-Kasein-Genotypen kann der Milcheiweissgehalt und damit die Produktqualität in Milchproduktionsbetrieben für die Käseherstellung züchterisch gezielt beeinflusst werden. Der vorliegende Artikel gibt für die Schweizer Herdebuchrassen einen aktuellen Überblick über das Vorkommen relevanter Allele, die den Milchproteingehalt beeinflussen.On dispose de plus en plus de données issues de tests génétiques concernant les caractères intéressants pour l’élevage. Les données relatives aux génotypes de caséine alpha-S1 permettent, grâce à la sélection, d’influencer de manière ciblée la teneur en protéines du lait et, partant, la qualité du produit dans les exploitations laitières dédiées à la fabrication de fromage. Le présent article fournit un aperçu actuel de la présence d’allèles pertinents pour la teneur en protéine du lait chez les races suisses au herd-book
Larval responses to turbulence and temperature in a tidal inlet: Habitat selection by dispersing gastropods?
No full textAuthor Posting. © Sears Foundation for Marine Research, 2010. This article is posted here by permission of Sears Foundation for Marine Research for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Marine Research 68 (2010): 153-188, doi:10.1357/002224010793079013.Marine larval dispersal is affected by hydrodynamic transport and larval behavior, but little is known about how behavior affects large-scale patterns of dispersal and recruitment. Intertidal habitats are characterized by strong and variable turbulence relative to shelf and pelagic waters, so larval responses to turbulence may affect both dispersal and habitat selection. This study combined observations and theoretical approaches to model gastropod larval responses to multiple physical variables in a well-mixed tidal inlet. Physical measurements and larvae were collected in July 2004 in Barnstable Harbor, Massachusetts (USA). Physical measurements were incorporated in an advection-diffusion model where larval vertical velocity is a function of turbulence dissipation rate, temperature, and the temperature gradient. Modeled larval distributions were fitted to observed concentration profiles by maximum likelihood to estimate larval behavioral velocity (swimming or sinking) as a function of environmental conditions. These quantitative behavior estimates were used to test hypotheses about behavioral differences among groups and to assess the relative impact of different cues on overall larval behavior. Larvae of five common gastropod species from different coastal habitats reacted most strongly to turbulence but had genus-specific responses to environmental cues. Larvae of a species from tidal inlets (the mud snail Nassarius obsoletus) had near-zero velocities under calmer conditions and sank in strong turbulence. In contrast, larvae from exposed beach habitats (Crepidula spp. and Anachis spp.) sank in weak turbulence and swam up in strong turbulence, with additional responses to temperature and temperature gradient. Larval responses also differed between small and large size classes and between flood and ebb tides. Behavior of mud snail larvae would contribute to retention inside the inlet and near adult habitats, whereas behavior of beach snail larvae would contribute to rapid export from muddy inlets lacking suitable adult habitats.This work was funded by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) Coastal Ocean
Institute, the WHOI Rinehart Coastal Research Center, the National Science Foundation (NSF OCE-
0326734), NSF and US Office of Naval Research grants to S. Elgar and B. Raubenheimer, and the
WHOI Sea Grant (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Grant No. NA16RG2273,
project no. R/O-38-PD). Analyses were completed while HLF was a postdoctoral scholar at Scripps
Institution of Oceanography (SIO), supported by the California Current Ecosystem Long-Term Ecological
Research program (NSF OCE-0417616) and by SIO funding to P. Franks
Mussel larval responses to turbulence are unaltered by larvalage or light condition
No full textLarval responses to hydromechanical cues potentially have important effects on larval dispersal and settlement. This study examined the behavior of mussel larvae (Mytilus edulis) in laboratory-generated turbulence representative of nearshore currents. We video recorded the behavior of early- and late-stage veligers in a grid-stirred tank at five turbulence levels under light and dark conditions. Water velocities and kinetic energy dissipation rates were measured using particle image velocimetry and acoustic Doppler velocimetry. We characterized the vertical velocity distributions for sinking, hovering, and swimming modes in still water and calculated the average larval behavioral velocity in turbulence. In still water, young larvae had more positive (upward) velocities than old larvae, and both stages had more positive velocities in light than in dark. In turbulence, the mean larval vertical velocity varied from positive at low dissipation rates to negative at dissipation rates above a threshold of 8.3 £ 1022 cm2 s23. At this threshold, the Kolmogorov length scale (h ¼ 590mm) was two to three times the mean larval shell lengths (171–256mm), implying that turbulence is detectable even by larvae that are smaller than the smallest eddies. Responses to turbulence were unaffected by larval age or light conditions and contributed substantial behavioral variation. By sinking in strong turbulence, mussel larvae could increase their flux to the bed in energetic coastal flows, particularly over rough substrates like mussel beds. The response to turbulence by early-stage larvae will also affect their dispersal and may help larvae remain near coastal populations.Peer reviewedOriginally published in Limnology and Oceanography: Fluids & Environments (2011) and available via this link: http://lofe.dukejournals.org/content/1/120.full.pdfCopyright 2011 by the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography, Inc
Genome-wide association studies based on sequence-derived genotypes reveal new QTL associated with conformation and performance traits in the Franches-Montagnes horse breed
No full textTo identify novel quantitative trait loci (QTL) within horses, we performed genome-wide association studies (GWAS) based on sequence-level genotypes for conformation and performance traits in the Franches-Montagnes (FM) horse breed. Sequence-level genotypes of FM horses were derived by re-sequencing 30 key founders and imputing 50K data of genotyped horses. In total, we included 1077 FM horses genotyped for ~4 million SNPs and their respective de-regressed breeding values of the traits in the analysis. Based on this dataset, we identified a total of 14 QTL associated with 18 conformation traits and one performance trait. Therefore, our results suggest that the application of sequence-derived genotypes increases the power to identify novel QTL which were not identified previously based on 50K SNP chip data
Genomische Inzucht: Wie hoch ist sie in Schweizer Schaf- und Ziegenrassen?
No full textDie Entwicklung moderner Technologien erlaubt es heute, mittels einer DNA-Genotypisierung den Zustand an Tausenden von Stellen im Erbgut eines Tieres aufzudecken. Diese Information kann verwendet werden, um die genomische Inzucht herzuleiten. Dies ist wertvoll für Populationen, die keine oder nur unvollständige Pedigree-Information haben. Weiter können Unterschiede in der Inzucht von Vollgeschwistern aufgezeigt werden und es kann sichtbar gemacht werden, wo im Erbgut Inzucht gewirkt hat. Dadurch liefert sie Anhaltspunkte zur genetischen Vielfalt innerhalb einer Rasse. In dieser Studie wurde für 1120 Schafe von elf Rassen und für 332 Ziegen von zehn Rassen die genomische Inzucht hergeleitet. Für die untersuchten Tiere der Ziegenrassen Saanenziege (SA), Toggenburgerziege (TO), Bündner Strahlenziege (BS), Walliser Ziegen (WZ), Appenzellerziege (AP) und Stiefelgeiss (ST), sowie der Schafrassen Walliser Schwarznasenschaf (SN), Spiegelschaf (SPS), Walliser Landschaf (WLS) und Ouessant Schaf (OUE) wurde eine durchschnittliche genomische Inzucht > 6,25 % berechnet. Generell erlaubt der Miteinbezug von genomischen Daten ein besseres Verständnis der Verwandtschafts- und Inzuchtverhältnisse in Schweizer Rassen. Dadurch sind differenziertere Entscheide für die Zucht und allfällige Erhaltungsaktivitäten möglich
Sourcing Southerne: origins of the tragic plot in Thomas Southerne's Oroonoko
No full textAlthough certainly indebted to Aphra Behn’s novella of the same name, Thomas Southerne’s Oroonoko draws inspiration for its Restoration hero, as well as additional characters and themes, from Marc Antony as depicted in John Dryden’s All for Love and Nathaniel Bacon as in Behn’s The Widdow Ranter.M.A.Includes bibliographical referencesby Heidi Duga
- …
