Construction of gene co-expression networks correlated to ruminal microorganisms profile, feed efficiency and intramuscular fat deposition in Nelore cattle

• Grant number: 21/14321-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: December 01, 2022
• End date: December 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Genetics and Improvement of Domestic Animals
• Principal Investigator: Luiz Lehmann Coutinho
• Grantee: Anna Carolina Fernandes
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 19/04089-2 - The Nelore hologenome: implications in beef quality and feed efficiency, AP.ESCIENCE.TEM

Abstract

In Brazil, the beef cattle herd is composed predominantly of Nelore animals (origin Bos indicus) or mestizos of the breed. As Brazilian beef exports grow, there is a need for efficient use of natural resources in order to reduce production of pollutants, such as methane (by-product of ruminal fermentation) and other greenhouse gases, thereby reducing the environmental impact of livestock production. One way to meet this goal is through the selection of animals for better feed efficiency (FE). In addition to the need of reducing production costs and environmental impacts, conquering new markets is becoming more dependent on beef quality. As well as controlling environmental variation, it is important to understand the impact of genetic variations on the regulation and variation of the phenotypes involved in meat production. The variation in gene expression is associated with phenotypic variation. As biological systems are regulated by thousands of molecules of different chemical nature, to understand complex phenotypes, an approach based on the fact that genes interact with each other in a network of interactions revealing a more complex regulation of transcription, can bring important and more complete information to understand the mechanisms that regulate such traits. Therefore, based on mRNA sequencing data, we propose to associate, respectively, transcriptomes of ruminal, hepatic and muscular tissues with microorganism profile, feed efficiency and intramuscular fat deposition. Using a system biology approach, through the construction of gene co-expression networks, the objective of this project is to identify co-expressed genes, metabolic pathways, functions and biological processes that regulate these phenotypes. This proposal will add to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms that contribute to the regulation of gene expression of complex traits of interest in Nelore cattle.