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Relationship of dystocia transmitting ability with type and production transmitting ability in Holstein bulls.

Relationships of transmitting ability for dystocia with transmitting abilities for type and production in Holstein bulls were estimated. Genetic correlations between dystocia transmitting ability with Predicted Difference (PD) were: milk .00, fat .00, test -.02, and dollars .00. Genetic correlations for transmitting ability of dystocia were -.28 with Predicted Difference Type and -.23 with Type Production Index. Correlation indicated improved conformation will increase dystocia. The relationship of transmitting abilities from Mating Appraisal for Profit with dystocia indicated that scale (size) has a major effect on the type-dystocia relationship. Large size results in both high type classification and increased dystocia. Correlations of rump and center support with dystocia were also in excess of .20.

Animals↗

Behavioural differences between individuals and two populations of stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus).

Behavioural syndromes are correlations between behaviours in different functional contexts. Behavioural syndromes are attracting the attention of evolutionary biologists because they mean that different behaviours might not be free to evolve independently of one another. In a landmark study, Huntingford (1976) showed that individual stickleback which were bold toward predators were also aggressive toward conspecifics and active in an unfamiliar environment. Here, I revisited the activity-aggression-boldness syndrome in stickleback and tested the hypothesis that correlations between behaviours might act as evolutionary constraints. I measured a suite of behaviours on wild-caught individuals and their offspring from two different populations and calculated heritabilities and genetic correlations between the different behaviours. I found that these behaviours were phenotypically and genetically correlated in one population but not another. On average, boldness and aggression were negatively related to each other across the populations. These results suggest that behavioural syndromes don't always act as evolutionary constraints.

Aggression↗

Rapid response to artificial selection on flower size in Phlox.

Quantitative characters are often said to evolve rather slowly, taking many generations to exhibit appreciable differences among populations. We tested this notion experimentally by performing bi-directional selection on corolla diameter of plants from a wild population of Phlox drummondii for three generations. By monitoring flower size, tube length and stigma-anther proximity of flowers, we obtained the direct and indirect responses to selection, and calculated genetic correlations, realized and narrow sense heritabilities using offspring-mother regression. Realized heritability of flower size was high (0.83), whereas genetic correlations among traits were weak or not significant. The per-generation average of the response in corolla diameter was about 5%. We found that P. drummondii has a great capacity to respond rapidly to selection, and this capacity may be in part responsible for the observed high degree of differentiation within the species. We also concluded that rapid evolution of morphological floral traits is possible.

Analysis of Variance↗

A mixed-model approach to mapping quantitative trait loci in barley on the basis of multiple environment data.

In this article, I propose a mixed-model method to detect QTL with significant mean effect across environments and to characterize the stability of effects across multiple environments. I demonstrate the method using the barley dataset by the North American Barley Genome Mapping Project. The analysis raises the need for mixed modeling in two different ways. First, it is reasonable to regard environments as a random sample from a population of target environments. Thus, environmental main effects and QTL-by-environment interaction effects are regarded as random. Second, I expect a genetic correlation among pairs of environments caused by undetected QTL. I show how random QTL-by-environment effects as well as genetic correlations are straightforwardly handled in a mixed-model framework. The main advantage of this method is the ability to assess the stability of QTL effects. Moreover, the method allows valid statistical inferences regarding average QTL effects.

Crosses, Genetic↗

Genotype by environment interaction for yield and somatic cell score with alternative environmental definitions.

Differential genetic expression in high and low opportunity Sicilian Holstein-Friesian and Brown Swiss herd environments was investigated using endogenous and exogenous variables in a set of three definitions. Results of genetic by environmental interaction were compared using alternative environmental definitions: within herd-year standard deviation for mature equivalent milk yield (HYSD), detectable incidence of normal vs. abnormal (peakless) lactation and herds clustered by causal relationships from high and low frequency use of nutrition, milking, health and animal handling practices. Data for genetic analysis consisted of first-lactation standardized yields of milk, fat and protein, and weighted somatic cell score for 8897 daughters of 825 Holstein-Friesian sires and 1143 daughters of 220 Brown Swiss sires. Components of covariance, heritabilities, and genetic correlations were estimated using bivariate and multivariate sire models for average and contrasting environments for each definition. Sire variances for yields were consistently smaller in the low opportunity environments of both breeds. Except for differential incidence of abnormal lactation in Friesian herds, correlated yield response in less privileged environments was 0.41 to 0.81 as much as in high opportunity environments, a substantial loss. Genetic correlations between HYSD environments for yield traits of Friesian were 0.48 to 0.66 but exceeded 0.80 for other definitions. Less correlated response in somatic cell score was also predicted for environments with low use of yield-enhancing practices (0.66 for Friesian and 0.61 for Brown Swiss), which may have resulted from less health care and poorer milking management. Therefore, unfavorable management interactions likely foster unequal gains from selection in contrasting environments defined exogenously or by incidence of peakless lactation. Conversely, greater genetic as well as phenotypic response is expected from additional inputs of nutrition, health care and milking management.

Analysis of Variance↗

Genetic aspects of longevity in Angus and Hereford cows.

Thirty years and 23 yr of life history data from a Hereford herd in Arizona and an Angus herd in Wyoming, respectively, were analyzed. Longevity averaged 4.21 +/- .06 for years from first calving to disposal (FST), 7.40 +/- .06 for years from birth to disposal (AGE) and 3.46 +/- .06 for lifetime number of calves weaned (NUM) in Herefords and 4.49 +/- .13 (FST), 6.68 +/- .12 (AGE) and 3.66 +/- .11 (NUM) in Angus. In the Hereford herd, heritability estimates for traits measuring longevity, estimated from daughter-dam regression and paternal half-sib analyses, ranged from .16 to .26. In the Angus herd, heritability estimates from daughter-dam regression ranged from .03 to .05. In the Hereford herd, genetic correlations of birth weight and weaning weight with longevity, from daughter-dam regression, were negative and generally of low magnitude, whereas genetic correlations between weaning condition score and longevity were positive and moderate. Analogous estimates from paternal half-sib analyses all were positive and moderate to high. Phenotypic correlations between early life traits and longevity traits in Herefords all were near zero. In the Angus herd, curves for age-specific survivorship and age-specific survival rate varied markedly among sires. This study suggested the existence of moderate genetic variation for longevity traits in beef cattle. None of the traits expressed early in life that were examined would, however, be reliable predictors of genetic or phenotypic merit for longevity.

Animals↗

Genetic parameters for cystic ovarian disease in dutch black and white dairy cattle.

Cystic ovarian disease (COD) is one of the most frequently diagnosed gynecological findings in dairy cattle. It causes temporary infertility and is likely to affect reproduction as well as production parameters in cows. The objectives of this study were to investigate the heritability of COD in a Dutch Black and White population and to estimate the genetic and phenotypic relationships with milk production traits. In the data set used, the overall incidence of COD was 7.7% (1204 COD diagnoses in 15,562 lactations). The farm incidence varied between 1.9 and 11.3%. The estimated heritabilities on the underlying and observable scales were 0.102 and 0.087, respectively. The genetic correlations between COD and 305-d milk, fat, and protein yields were 0.345, 0.379, and 0.441, respectively. We concluded that a genetic predisposition for COD exists in Dutch Black and White dairy cattle. The genetic correlations between COD and yield traits indicate that ongoing selection for production will increase the incidence of COD.

Animals↗

Genetic parameter estimates for serum insulin-like growth factor I concentration and performance traits in Angus beef cattle.

Data for this study were obtained from an experiment involving divergent selection for blood serum IGF-I concentration in beef cattle. Multiple trait derivative-free REML procedures were used to obtain genetic parameter estimates for IGF-I concentration at d 28, 42, and 56 of the postweaning period and for mean IGF-I concentration, as well as for weights and gains. Included in the analysis were 1,563 animals in the A-1 matrix, 731 of which had valid records for mean IGF-I concentration. Direct heritabilities (hd2) were .42 +/- .13, .53 +/- .15, .71 +/- .16, and .48 +/- .13 for IGF-I at d 28, 42, and 56 of the postweaning period and for mean IGF-I, respectively. Heritability of maternal genetic effects (hm2) ranged from .02 to .12, whereas the proportion of the total variance due to the maternal permanent environmental effect (c2) was essentially zero for all measures of IGF-I. Genetic correlations of IGF-I with weaning and postweaning weights and with postweaning weight gain ranged from -.21 to -.54 and averaged -.38. The environmental correlation between IGF-I and performance traits varied from .10 to .35 and averaged .22. Phenotypic correlations of IGF-I concentrations with weaning weight and postweaning weights and gains ranged from -.01 to .12 and averaged .04. Estimates of hd2 indicate that it should be possible to change IGF-I concentration in beef cattle via selection. Negative genetic correlations imply that, if the goal is to make genetic improvement in weaning weights, postweaning weights and (or) postweaning gain in beef cattle, selection should be for decreased postweaning serum IGF-I concentration.

Animals↗

Genetic parameters for conformation traits in herds that differ in mean final score and completeness of pedigree and performance data.

The objectives of this study were to assess differences in the heritability of type (conformation) traits between herds that differ in mean final score and completeness of pedigree and performance data and to estimate genetic correlations among these environments. Measurement of subjective characteristics, such as conformation traits, may be more difficult in herds with poor management conditions, and genetic evaluation of sires using data from such herds could lead to inaccurate selection decisions. Furthermore, missing pedigree data is a significant problem in many herds, and a lack of phenotypic data from maternal relatives may reduce the effectiveness of animal model evaluation systems. These hypotheses were examined using type classification scores of 1,728,836 first-parity Holstein cows (from 54,223 sires) that calved from 1993 to 2002 in 24,207 US dairy herds. These data included 480,927 records from progeny test daughters, but only 254,891 (47%) were from dams that had valid sire identification, and only 132,953 (28%) were from dams that had also been classified. Herds were grouped into quartiles by mean classification score, percentage of known maternal grandsires, and percentage of classified dams. Estimated heritability of final score was 0.20 in herds with mean score <74.5, 0.17 in herds with <25% known maternal grandsires, and 0.19 in herds with <18% classified dams. Conversely, estimates were 0.39 in herds with mean score >78.7, 0.35 in herds with 100% known maternal grandsires, and 0.37 in herds with >71% classified dams. Estimated genetic correlations between quartiles ranged from 0.86 to 0.95. Based on this study, it appears that improvements in animal identification and data collection in progeny test herds would lead to greater accuracy and stability of genetic evaluations for conformation traits in US Holstein cattle.

Analysis of Variance↗

Cumulative t-link threshold models for the genetic analysis of calving ease scores.

In this study, a hierarchical threshold mixed model based on a cumulative t-link specification for the analysis of ordinal data or more, specifically, calving ease scores, was developed. The validation of this model and the Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm was carried out on simulated data from normally and t4 (i.e. a t-distribution with four degrees of freedom) distributed populations using the deviance information criterion (DIC) and a pseudo Bayes factor (PBF) measure to validate recently proposed model choice criteria. The simulation study indicated that although inference on the degrees of freedom parameter is possible, MCMC mixing was problematic. Nevertheless, the DIC and PBF were validated to be satisfactory measures of model fit to data. A sire and maternal grandsire cumulative t-link model was applied to a calving ease dataset from 8847 Italian Piemontese first parity dams. The cumulative t-link model was shown to lead to posterior means of direct and maternal heritabilities (0.40 +/-0.06, 0.11 +/- 0.04) and a direct maternal genetic correlation (-0.58 +/- 0.15) that were not different from the corresponding posterior means of the heritabilities (0.42 +/- 0.07, 0.14 +/- 0.04) and the genetic correlation (-0.55 +/- 0.14) inferred under the conventional cumulative probit link threshold model. Furthermore, the correlation (> 0.99) between posterior means of sire progeny merit from the two models suggested no meaningful rerankings. Nevertheless, the cumulative t-link model was decisively chosen as the better fitting model for this calving ease data using DIC and PBF.

Animals↗

[Analysis of the interconnection between susceptibility factors to schizophrenia and epilepsy].

The results of the genetic-correlative analysis of schizophrenia (681 families) and epilepsy (365 families) are given. The presence of various liabilities to these diseases, having genetic correlation of 0.16-0.19 between them, is shown. From epidemiologic data, elevated frequency of convulsive manifestations in schizophrenics and schizophrenia-like psychosis in epileptic patients was established. Within the limits of the three-component hypothesis of etiology of these diseases ("major genes", environmental factors and constitutional readiness), the relation detected is explained by interaction between constitutional readiness factors.

Disease Susceptibility↗

Phenotypic and genetic relationships between reproduction and milk production in dairy goats.

First lactations of 3286 Alpine, Nubian, Saanen, and Toggenburg does were used to assess consequences of correcting milk and fat yields for age and season of kidding and to estimate heritabilities and phenotypic and genetic relationships between milk production and reproductive traits. Does were classified into those that reproduced successfully during their first breeding year and those that did not and were held over to the following year before reproducing successfully. Heritabilities of milk and fat yield and fat percent adjusted for age-season were .68, .61, and .54 for Alpines, Saanens, and Toggenburgs and .35, .54, and 1.09 for Nubians. Phenotypic and genetic correlations between date of kidding and unadjusted milk and fat yield were negative but were close to zero for adjusted yields. Phenotypic correlations for age of kidding with unadjusted milk and fat yields were positive and with adjusted yields were near zero. Genetic correlations for age at kidding with unadjusted yields were positive but with adjusted yields were negative but small. Selection on unadjusted milk yield of first lactation would lead to fewer reproductive successes during the first breeding year and later ages at kidding, but selection on adjusted yields would result in little correlated change in reproductive performance.

Age Factors↗

Use of multivariate analysis to extract latent variables related to level of production and lactation persistency in dairy cattle.

Multivariate factor analysis and principal component analysis were used to decompose the correlation matrix of test-day milk yields of 48,374 lactations of 21,721 Italian Simmental cows. Two common latent factors related to level of production in early lactation and lactation persistency, and 2 principal components associated with the whole lactation yield and persistency were obtained. Factor and principal component scores were treated as new quantitative phenotypes related to prominent features of lactation curve shape. Genetic parameters were estimated by univariate and bivariate animal models. Estimates of heritability were moderately low for both latent factors (0.13 for persistency and yield early in lactation). Heritabilities of the principal component related to total lactation yield and 305-d yield were similar (0.19 and 0.20, respectively). Finally, heritability was quite low for the principal component related to lactation persistency (0.07). Repeatabilities between lactations were about 0.27 for both latent factors, around 0.4 for the first principal component and 305-d yield, and 0.11 for the second principal component. Moderate genetic correlation among common factors (0.26) and their high genetic correlation with total lactation yield (>0.60) suggest that selection can be used to change the shape of lactation curve as well as improve yield. Scores of the second principal component can be used to genetically improve persistency while maintaining constant total lactation yield.

Analysis of Variance↗

Genetic analysis of cow survival in the Israeli dairy cattle population.

The linear model method of VanRaden and Klaaskate for analyzing herd life was expanded. Information on conception and protein yield was included in the estimation of predicted herd life of Israeli Holsteins. Variance components were estimated by a multitrait animal model. Heritability was slightly higher for herd life than for number of parities, but genetic correlations were close to unity. Animal model heritability estimates of herd life were higher than were sire model estimates. The expected herd life of pregnant cows was 420 d greater than for open cows. Each kilogram of increase in protein yield increased expected herd life by 9.5 d. Heritability of expected herd life increased from 0.11 for cows 6 mo after first calving to 0.14 for cows 3 yr from first calving. The genetic correlation of expected and actual herd life increased from 0.87 for records cut after 6 mo to 0.99 for records cut 3 yr after first calving. Phenotypic correlations increased from 0.61 to 0.94. Sire genetic evaluations based on predicted herd life of live cows were strongly biased if all records were weighted equally, and evaluations derived by weighting incomplete records to account for the effects of current herd life on variance components were nearly unbiased.

Animals↗

Integrative Genomic and Functional Investigation of the Multi-Layered Genetic Architecture Between Anorexia Nervosa and Bone Loss.

OBJECTIVE: Bone loss is a severe and often irreversible complication of anorexia nervosa (AN), yet the genetic mechanisms underlying this comorbidity remain underexplored. This study focuses on constructing a comprehensive genetic architecture between AN and estimated calcaneal bone mineral density (eBMD). METHOD: We applied an integrative framework incorporating genetic correlation, pleiotropic association, and causal inference across single-variant, multi-variant, and gene expression levels. Functional validation was conducted in&#xa0;vitro to investigate the biological role of the key candidate gene. RESULTS: Local genetic correlation analysis identified significant signals at 8p21.2 and 10q26.3, despite the lack of significant global correlation. Mendelian randomization analysis pointed to a suggestive negative causal effect of genetically predisposed AN on eBMD. Extensive pleiotropic signals were detected, particularly at 3p21.31 and 10q26.3, loci enriched with genes associated with both traits. Notably, we identified a novel pleiotropic signal near NCAM1 at 11q23.2, which was supported by multi-layered genetic evidence and confirmed through in&#xa0;vitro functional experiments. NCAM1, a well-established neural-associated gene, promoted osteoclastic differentiation and bone resorption when overexpressed in osteoclast precursor cells, indicating that NCAM1 possesses distinct functional roles in both neural and skeletal tissues. DISCUSSION: This study constructs a comprehensive genetic architecture underlying AN and eBMD and highlights NCAM1 as a key pleiotropic gene.

anorexia nervosa↗

Constraints on the evolution of attractive traits: genetic (co)variance of zebra finch bill colour.

We estimated the heritability and genetic correlation between male and female bill colour in a laboratory population of zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) in order to examine the potential genetic constraints on the evolution of a sexually dimorphic trait. The heritability estimates of bill colour from regressions of offspring on single parents ranged from h2 = 0.34 to 0.73 and all but one of these estimates were significantly greater than zero. The restricted maximum likelihood heritability estimates for full- and half-siblings were significant for females (h2 = 0.48) but not significant for males (h2 = 0.45). The maximum likelihood estimates indicate that there is little dominance genetic variance for bill colour. The large genetic correlation between male and female bill colour (rg = 0.91) combined with opposing selection on male and female bill colour indicates that the evolution to sex-specific optima may proceed very slowly.

Animals↗

Genetic study of embryonic mortality in White Leghorn lines selected for egg production traits.

The present study compares embryonic mortality between lines selected for different production traits, assesses the effects of inbreeding of the hen and embryo on embryonic mortality, and estimates genetic parameters of embryonic mortality. The experiment covered 10 generations of selection for increased egg number (EN), egg weight (EW), egg mass (EM) and a control line (C). The data included age at 1st egg, egg number and egg weight. Percent fertile eggs (PF), percent hatched of fertile eggs (PHF) and percent dead chick at hatch (PDH) were also recorded for the selected parents. PDH was higher in the selected lines than in the control line. Among the selected lines, the EW line had the highest embryonic mortality. Inbreeding of the hen and embryo had no significant effect on PDH in any of the lines. Estimates of heritability for PDH were 0.10+/-0.05, 0.02+/-0.02, 0.03+/-0.02 and 0.02+/-0.02 for lines EN, EW, EM and C, respectively. There was a positive genetic correlation between egg weight and PDH in line EW indicating that selection for increased egg weight was associated with high embryonic mortality. A negative genetic correlation between PDH and reproductive traits in line EN was observed, which is favourable.

Animals↗