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Association of SNPs in dopamine and serotonin pathway genes and their interacting genes with temperament traits in Charolais cows

  • Animal Genetics • Original Paper
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Abstract

Cattle temperament is a complex trait, and molecular studies aimed at defining this trait are scarce. We used an interaction networks approach to identify new genes (interacting genes) and to estimate their effects and those of 19 dopamine- and serotonin-related genes on the temperament traits of Charolais cattle. The genes proopiomelanocortin (POMC), neuropeptide Y (NPY), solute carrier family 18, member 2 (SLC18A2) and FBJ murine osteosarcoma viral oncogene homologue (FOSFBJ) were identified as new candidates. Their potential to be associated with temperament was estimated according to their reported biological activities, which included interactions with neural activity, receptor function, targeting or synthesis of neurotransmitters and association with behaviour. Pen score (PS) and exit velocity (EV) measures were determined from 412 Charolais cows to calculate their temperament score (TS). Based on the TS, calm (n = 55; TS, 1.09 ± 0.33) and temperamental (n = 58; TS, 2.27 ± 0.639) cows were selected and genotyped using a 248 single-nucleotide variation (SNV) panel. Of the 248 variations in the panel, only 151 were confirmed to be polymorphic (single-nucleotide polymorphisms; SNPs) in the tested population. Single-marker association analyses between genotypes and temperament measures (EV, PS and/or TS) indicated significant associations of six SNPs from four candidate genes. The markers rs109576799 and rs43696138, located in the DRD3 and HTR2A genes, respectively, were significantly associated with both EV and TS traits. Four markers, rs110365063 and rs137756569 from the POMC gene and rs110365063 and rs135155082 located in SLC18A2 and DRD2, respectively, were associated with PS. The variant rs110365063 located in bovine SLC18A2 causes a change in the amino acid sequence from Ala to Thr. Further studies are needed to confirm the association of genetic profile with cattle temperament; however, our study represents important progress in understanding the regulation of cattle temperament by different genes with divergent functions.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the different herd owners for supporting the cattle sampling and temperament measurements. We acknowledge financial support from research grants FOMIX-Tamaulipas 177460 and SIP-IPN 20161076.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratorio de Biotecnología Animal, Centro de Biotecnología Genómica, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Boulevard del Maestro SN, Esq. Elías Piña, Col. Narciso Mendoza, 88710, Reynosa, Tamaulipas, México

    E. Garza-Brenner, A. M. Sifuentes-Rincón, G. M. Parra-Bracamonte & W. Arellano Vera

  2. Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Texas A&M University System, Overton, TX, 75684, USA

    R. D. Randel

  3. Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Unidad Profesional Interdisciplinaria de Ingeniería Campus Zacatecas, Zacatecas, México

    F. A. Paredes-Sánchez

  4. Facultad de Zootecnia y Ecología, Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México

    F. A. Rodríguez Almeida

  5. Red de Estudios Moleculares Avanzados, Instituto de Ecología A.C., Xalapa, México

    A. Segura Cabrera

Authors
  1. E. Garza-Brenner
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  2. A. M. Sifuentes-Rincón
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  3. R. D. Randel
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  5. G. M. Parra-Bracamonte
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  6. W. Arellano Vera
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  7. F. A. Rodríguez Almeida
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  8. A. Segura Cabrera
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to A. M. Sifuentes-Rincón.

Additional information

Communicated by: Maciej Szydlowski

Implications

The serotonin and dopamine signalling systems are essential for different behavioural phenotypes in both invertebrates and vertebrates. Studies focused on the genetic basis of behaviour in cattle are scarce. As enough evidence supports the importance of behavioural traits on the productivity of beef cattle of different breeds, the identification of intrinsic genetic sources of variation could be of fundamental application by facilitating the selection of appropriate temperament genotypes. Selecting livestock with greater docility has positive benefits for improving beef cattle performance, in addition to improving human safety and animal welfare.

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Garza-Brenner, E., Sifuentes-Rincón, A.M., Randel, R.D. et al. Association of SNPs in dopamine and serotonin pathway genes and their interacting genes with temperament traits in Charolais cows. J Appl Genetics 58, 363–371 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13353-016-0383-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13353-016-0383-0

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