Skip to main content
ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Pullman, Washington » Animal Disease Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #426455
Research Project: Understanding Host-Bacterial Interactions to Mitigate Disease in Small Ruminants

Location: Animal Disease Research Unit

Title: Unravelling the genetic architecture of serum biochemical indicators in sheep

Author
item KIZILASLAN, MEHMET - Erciyes University
item ARZIK, YUNUS - Erciyes University
item BEHREM, SEDAT - Aksaray University
item White, Stephen
item UAVUZ, ESRA - Ministry Of Agriculture And Forestry - Turkey
item ULAS CINAR, MEHMET - Erciyes University

Submitted to: Genes
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/23/2024
Publication Date: 7/27/2024
Citation: Kizilaslan, M., Arzik, Y., Behrem, S., White, S.N., Uavuz, E., Ulas Cinar, M. 2024. Unravelling the genetic architecture of serum biochemical indicators in sheep. Genes. 15(8). Article 990. https://doi.org/10.3390/genes15080990.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/genes15080990

Interpretive Summary: Animal health is monitored through sampled blood to test for alterations in baseline serum measurements. At this time, there has been a moderate amount of work associating specific blood markers to genomic regions. However, the present article associated 10 serum parameters to genomic regions within Akkaraman sheep. This is the first scientific evidence to suggest that serum cholesterol measurements may be associated with a gene involved in erythrocytic (red blood cell) actin cytoskeleton dynamics. Secondarily, this work associated serum glucose measurements with a genomic location that has yet to have a fully described function.

Technical Abstract: Serum biochemical indicators serve as vital proxies that reflect the physiological state and functions of different organs. The genetic parameters and molecular mechanisms underlying serum biochemical indicators of sheep (Ovis aries) have not been well understood. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to identify the genetic architecture and genomic loci underlying ten serum biochemical indicators in sheep, including alanine transaminase, aspartate transferase, lactate dehydrogenase, cholesterol, glucose, phosphorus, calcium, creatinine, urea and total protein levels. We implemented genetic parameter estimations and GWASs for each trait in 422 Akkaraman lambs. Overall, low to moderate heritability estimates were found in the range of 0.14–0.55. Additionally, low to high genetic correlations were observed among traits. In total, 23 SNP loci were associated with serum biochemical indicators leading to 19 genes. These were SPTA1, MGST2, CACUL1, IGFBP7, PARD3, PHB1, SLC15A5, TRIM35, RGS6, NUP93, CNTNAP2, SLC7A11, B3GALT5, DPP10, HST2ST1, NRP1, LRP1B, MAP3K9 and ENSOARG00020040484.1, as well as LOC101103187, LOC101117162, LOC105611309 and LOC101118029. To our knowledge, these data provide the first associations between SPTA1 and serum cholesterol and between ENSOARG00020040484.1 and serum glucose. The current findings provide a comprehensive inventory of the relationships between serum biochemical parameters, genetic variants and disease-relevant characteristics. This information may facilitate the identification of therapeutic targets and fluid biomarkers and establish a strong framework for comprehending the pathobiology of complex diseases as well as providing targets for sheep genetic improvement programs.