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A genome-wide association study (GWAS) is an effective tool for identifying the dominant genes of complex economic traits in livestock by statistical analysis of genotype data and measured phenotype data. In this study, we rigorously measured 14 body conformation traits in 254 Qinchuan cattle, comprising body weight (BW), body height (BOH), back height (BAH), buttock height (BUH), chest depth (CD), chest width (CW), hip cross height (HCH), body length (BL), hip width (HW), rump length (RL), pin bone width (PBW), chest girth (CG), abdomen circumference (AG), and calf circumference (CC). After quality control, 281,889 SNPs were generated for GWAS with different traits. A total of 250 suggestive SNPs (p < 3.54 × 10−6) were screened and 37 candidate genes were annotated. Furthermore, we performed a linkage disequilibrium analysis of SNP loci and considered published studies, identifying the eight genes (ADAMTS17, ALDH1A3, CHSY1, MAGEL2, MEF2A, SYNM, CNTNAP5, and CTNNA3) most likely to be involved in growth traits. This study provides new insights into the regulatory mechanisms of bovine body size development, which can be very useful in the development of management and breeding strategies.

Marker-assisted selection is an important method for livestock breeding. In recent years, this technology has been gradually applied to livestock breeding to improve the body conformation traits. In this study, the LRRC8B (Leucine Rich Repeat Containing 8 VRAC Subunit B) gene was selected to evaluate the association between its genetic variations and the body conformation traits in two native sheep breeds in China. Four body conformation traits, including withers height, body length, chest circumference, and body weight, were collected from 269 Chaka sheep. We also collected the body length, chest width, withers height, chest depth, chest circumference, cannon bone circumference, and height at hip cross of 149 Small-Tailed Han sheep. Two different genotypes, ID and DD, were detected in all sheep. Our data showed that the polymorphism of the LRRC8B gene was significantly associated with chest depth (p < 0.05) in Small-Tailed Han sheep, and it is greater in sheep with DD than those with ID. In conclusion, our data suggested that the LRRC8B gene could serve as a candidate gene for marker-assisted selection in Small-Tailed Han sheep.

The objective of this study was to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) and nearby candidate genes that influence body conformation traits. Phenotypic data for 24 body conformation traits were collected from a population of 2329 Korean Holstein cattle, and all animals were genotyped using the 50 K Illumina bovine SNP chip. A total of 24 genome-wide significant SNPs associated with 24 body conformation traits were identified by genome-wide association analysis. The selection of the most promising candidate genes was based on gene ontology (GO) terms and the previously identified functions that influence various body conformation traits as determined in our study. These genes include KCNA1, RYBP, PTH1R, TMIE, and GNAI3 for body traits; ANGPT1 for rump traits; MALRD1, INHBA, and HOXA13 for feet and leg traits; and CDK1, RHOBTB1, and SLC17A1 for udder traits, respectively. These findings contribute to our understanding of the genetic basis of body conformation traits in this population and pave the way for future breeding strategies aimed at enhancing desirable traits in dairy cattle.

Identifying associations between genetic markers and economic traits has practical benefits for the meat goat industry. To better understand the genomic regions and biological pathways contributing to body conformation traits of meat goats, a genome-wide association study was performed using Dazu black goats (DBGs), a Chinese indigenous goat breed. In particular, 150 DBGs were genotyped by whole-genome sequencing, and six body conformation traits, including body height (BH), body length (BL), cannon circumference (CC), chest depth (CD), chest width (CW), and heart girth (HG), were examined. In total, 53 potential SNPs were associated with these body conformation traits. A bioinformatics analysis was performed to evaluate the genes located close to the significant SNPs. Finally, 42 candidate genes (e.g., PSTPIP2, C7orf57, CCL19, FGF9, SGCG, FIGN, and SIPA1L) were identified as components of the genetic architecture underlying body conformation traits. Our results provide useful biological information for the improvement of growth performance and have practical applications for genomic selection in goats.

Background Comprehending the correlation between body conformation traits of cows at the early stages of lactation and prevalent lactation diseases might facilitate the execution of selection and feeding strategies that prioritize cow health. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of body conformation traits on the incidence of clinical mastitis and lameness in Chinese Holstein cows. From a pasture herd of 1472 early lactating Chinese Holstein cows, we evaluated 20 body conformation traits. During lactation, this pasture herd was visited weekly to gather clinical mastitis and lameness data. A nine-point scale was used to determine the conformation traits of cows to clarify their linear characters, including frame capacity, rump (RU), feet and leg (FL), mammary system (MS), and dairy character. A longitudinal binary disease (0 = healthy; 1 = diseased) data structure was created by allocating disease records to adjacent official test dates. The impact of body conformation traits on the risk of developing diseases (clinical mastitis and lameness) was analyzed using the logistic regression models. Results Compared to cows with low total scores (75–79 points), those with high total scores (80–85 points) of body conformation traits had a significantly lower risk of mastitis ( P  < 0.001). The disease status (0 or 1: binary variable) of clinical mastitis in lactating cows was significantly impacted negatively by age ( P  < 0.05). The fore udder attachment (FUA), angularity, rear attachment height (RAH), and rear teat placement (RTP) were all significantly associated with clinical mastitis during lactation ( P  < 0.05). The rear leg-rear view (RLRV) was significantly correlated with correlated considerably ( P  < 0.05) with lameness during lactation. An ideal score of four points on the lameness risk dimension of the RLRV may indicate a low risk of lameness. Since the risk of mastitis decreased as this trait score increased, the RTP may be an ideal marker for mastitis risk. Conclusions According to the study, clinical mastitis and lameness risks in cows can be estimated using their body conformation traits. Cows with more centrally located rear teats have a lower risk of mastitis. These results may help dairy farmers identify cows at high risk of disease early in lactation and aid in breeding for disease resistance in cows.

This study investigated phenotypic diversity in indigenous normal feathered and Noiler chickens kept by rural farmers in Nasarawa State, Nigeria. A total of 180 birds at six weeks of age, comprising equal sexes were randomly sampled.  Body weight, six primary biometric traits, four morphological indices and four thermo-physiological traits were measured on each bird for six months. The general linear model was used to test the fixed and interaction effects of genotype, sex and location on these traits. Noiler birds had higher (p < 0.05) morphometric traits and morphological indices than indigenous chickens, except for stockiness. Male birds outperformed their female counterparts in body traits and indices, while location effect was also significant. Heat tolerance traits were similar across genotypes, except for higher pulse rate in Noilers. Female birds appeared more stressed thermally while Nasarawa South birds exhibited higher thermal stress. There were significant (p < 0.05) effects of genotype*sex, genotype*location and sex*location interactions on most body parameters, morphological indices and heat tolerance traits. Optimal body weights for both Noiler male and female chickens were predicted at 25.83 and 27.25 weeks. The present findings would provide a basis for the conservation and genetic improvement of both chicken genotypes in Nigeria.

Body conformation is the most direct production index, which can fully reflect pig growth status and is closely related to critical economic traits. In this study, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on body conformation traits in a population of 1518 Duroc × (Landrace × Yorkshire) commercial pigs. These traits included body length (BL), body height (BH), chest circumference (CC), abdominal circumference (AC), and waist circumference (WC). Both the mixed linear model (MLM) and fixed and random model circulating probability unification (FarmCPU) approaches were employed for the analysis. Our findings revealed 60 significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with these body conformation traits in the crossbred pig population. Specifically, sixteen SNPs were significantly associated with BL, three SNPs with BH, thirteen SNPs with CC, twelve SNPs with AC, and sixteen SNPs with WC. Moreover, we identified several promising candidate genes located within the genomic regions associated with body conformation traits. These candidate genes include INTS10, KIRREL3, SOX21, BMP2, MAP4K3, SOD3, FAM160B1, ATL2, SPRED2, SEC16B, and RASAL2. Furthermore, our analysis revealed a novel significant quantitative trait locus (QTL) on SSC7 specifically associated with waist circumference, spanning an 84 kb interval. Overall, the identification of these significant SNPs and potential candidate genes in crossbred commercial pigs enhances our understanding of the genetic basis underlying body conformation traits. Additionally, these findings provide valuable genetic resources for pig breeding programs.

In this study, we estimated the genetic parameters for 6 composite traits and 27 body conformation traits of 1016 dual-purpose Simmental cattle reared in northwestern China from 2010 to 2019 using a linear animal mixed model. To integrate these traits, a variety of methods were used as follows: (1) genetic parameters estimates for composite and individual body conformation traits based on the pedigree relationship matrix (A) and combined genomic-pedigree relationship matrix (H); (2) factor analysis to explore the relationships among body conformation traits; and (3) genetic parameters of factor scores estimated using A and H, and the correlations of EBVs of the factor scores and EBVs of the composite traits. Heritability estimates of the composite traits using A and H were low to medium (0.07–0.47). The 24 common latent factors explained 96.13% of the total variance. Among factors with eigenvalues ≥ 1, F1 was mainly related to body frame, muscularity, and rump; F2 was related to feet and legs; F3, F4, F5, and F6 were related to teat placement, teat size, udder size, and udder conformation; and F7 was related to body frame. Single-trait analysis of factor scores yielded heritability estimates that were low to moderate (0.008–0.43 based on A and 0.04–0.43 based on H). Spearman and Pearson correlations, derived from the best linear unbiased prediction analysis of composite traits and factor scores, showed a similar pattern. Thus, incorporating factor analysis into the morphological evaluation to simplify the assessment of body conformation traits may improve the genetics of dual-purpose Simmental cattle.

This study was performed to expose the polymorphisms of the growth hormone-releasing hormone receptor gene in Chinese Dabieshan cattle, evaluate its effect on body conformation traits, and find potential molecular markers in Chinese cattle. The GHRHR structure and the phylogenetic tree were analyzed using bioinformatics software. The polymorphism of the GHRHR gene in 486 female cattle was genotyped by PCR-RFLP and DNA sequencing, and the association between SNPs and body conformation traits of Chinese Dabieshan cattle was analyzed by one-way ANOVA in SPSS software. GHRHR was often conserved in nine species, and its sequence of cattle was closest to sheep and goats. Six polymorphic SNPs were identified, g.10667A > C and g.10670A > C were missense mutation. The association analysis indicated that the six SNPs significantly influenced the body conformation traits of Chinese Dabieshan cattle (p < 0.05). Six haplotypes were identified and Hap1 (-CAACGA-) had the highest frequency (36.10%). The Hap3/5 (-GCCCCCGGAAGG-) exhibited a significantly greater wither height (WH), hip height (HH), heart girth (HG), and hip width (HW) (p < 0.05). Overall, the polymorphisms of GHRHR affected the body conformation traits of Chinese Dabieshan cattle, and the GHRHR gene could be used as a molecular marker in Dabieshan cattle breeding programs.

Biological systems that perform multiple tasks face a fundamental trade-off: A given phenotype cannot be optimal at all tasks. Here we ask how trade-offs affect the range of phenotypes found in nature. Using the Pareto front concept from economics and engineering, we find that best-trade-off phenotypes are weighted averages of archetypes— phenotypes specialized for single tasks. For two tasks, phenotypes fall on the line connecting the two archetypes, which could explain linear trait correlations, allometric relationships, as well as bacterial gene-expression patterns. For three tasks, phenotypes fall within a triangle in phenotype space, whose vertices are the archetypes, as evident in morphological studies, including on Darwin's finches. Tasks can be inferred from measured phenotypes based on the behavior of organisms nearest the archetypes.