Location: Agricultural Genetic Resources Preservation Research
Project Number: 3012-31000-007-024-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Aug 31, 2026
End Date: Aug 30, 2030
Objective:
To quantify gene frequency differences at loci known to be associated with fattening, fatty acid types and marbling among Continental, English, and Asian cattle breeds. Such an analysis will be useful in identifying selection paths, particularly for breeds originating from continental Europe.
Approach:
The cooperator will assemble and array of preexisting genotypes including: the 1000 bulls genome project, industry breed associations, and public databases. Through this agreement the cooperator will also have access to the genotypes the National Animal Germplasm Program has curated on beef and dairy cattle. A panel of SNP associated with fattening, marbling and fatty acids (e.g., those associated with mono-unsaturated fatty acids) will be developed and used in the analyses. Breeds used in the analyses will include: Limousin, Charolais, Gelbvieh, Salers, Hereford, Angus, Brahman, and Wagyu. A series of analyses will be performed and include: Admixture, linkage disequilibrium, GWAS, Fst, and Hardy Weinberg Equilibrium among others.