Genome-Wide Association Studies for the Concentration of Albumin in Colostrum and Serum in Chinese Holstein

Abstract

Albumin can be of particular benefit in fighting infections for newborn calves due to its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative stress properties. To identify the candidate genes related to the concentration of albumin in colostrum and serum, we collected the colostrum and blood samples from 572 Chinese Holstein cows within 24 h after calving and measured the concentration of albumin in the colostrum and serum using the ELISA methods. The cows were genotyped with GeneSeek 150 K chips (containing 140,668 single nucleotide polymorphisms; SNPs). After quality control, we performed GWASs via GCTA software with 91,620 SNPs and 563 cows. Consequently, 9 and 7 genome-wide significant SNPs (false discovery rate (FDR) at 1%) were identified. Correspondingly, 42 and 206 functional genes that contained or were approximate to (±1 Mbp) the significant SNPs were acquired. Integrating the biological process of these genes and the reported QTLs for immune and inflammation traits in cattle, 3 and 12 genes were identified as candidates for the concentration of colostrum and serum albumin, respectively; these are RUNX1, CBR1, OTULIN,CDK6, SHARPIN, CYC1, EXOSC4, PARP10, NRBP2, GFUS, PYCR3, EEF1D, GSDMD, PYCR2 and CXCL12. Our findings provide important information for revealing the genetic mechanism behind albumin concentration and for molecular breeding of disease-resistance traits in dairy cattle.