Mapping candidates for lethal haplotypes and genomic regions associated with the occurrence of abortion and pre-weaning mortality in Nellore cattle

• Grant number: 23/11176-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: December 01, 2023
• End date: January 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Genetics and Improvement of Domestic Animals
• Principal Investigator: Maria Eugênia Zerlotti Mercadante
• Grantee: Gustavo Roberto Dias Rodrigues
• Host Institution: Instituto de Zootecnia. Agência Paulista de Tecnologia dos Agronegócios (APTA). Secretaria de Agricultura e Abastecimento (São Paulo - Estado). Nova Odessa , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 17/10630-2 - Genetic aspects of meat production quality, efficiency and sustainability in Nelore breed animals, AP.TEM
• Associated research grant(s): 24/04755-0 - 75th annual meeting of the European Animal Production Association, AR.EXT
• Associated scholarship(s): 24/01909-7 - Genome scan for transmission ratio distortion regions and its associations with abortion, stillbirth and pre-weaning mortality in Nellore cattle, BE.EP.MS

Abstract

This research project aims to map lethal haplotypes and identify genomic regions associated with the occurrence of abortion and pre-weaning mortality in Nellore cattle. The data that will be used in this study were collected over more than four decades by the Advanced Center for Research and Development in Beef Cattle, located in Sertãozinho, São Paulo, Brazil. The sampling includes 2,723 genotyped animals and approximately 13,600 births, including records of abortion, stillbirth, and pre-weaning mortality. The identification of candidates for lethal haplotypes will be done using the sliding window method, observing haplotypes with a prevalence greater than 2% in the population and with frequencies lower than expected in the homozygous recessive state. Genome wide association analyzes (GWAS) will be performed to identify SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms) located in nearby regions (100 kb around) or within the lethal haplotypes, and which are related to the occurrence of abortion, stillbirth and pre-weaning mortality. The results obtained through this study will contribute significantly to the understanding of the genetic structure of deleterious variants associated with abortion and pre-weaning mortality in Nellore cattle. Thus, selection and mating strategies can be applied more efficiently and, in a future perspective, genetic editing techniques can be used to mitigate problems that influence the reproductive efficiency and the survival of calves until weaning in commercial herds.

Scientific publications

(7)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

RODRIGUES, GUSTAVO R. D.; CYRILLO, JOSLAINE N. S. G.; MOTA, LUCIO F. M.; SCHMIDT, PATRICIA I.; VALENTE, JULIA P. S.; OLIVEIRA, EDUARDA S.; ALBUQUERQUE, LUCIA G.; BRITO, LUIZ F.; MERCADANTE, MARIA E. Z.. Effect of genomic regions harboring putative lethal haplotypes on reproductive performance in closed experimental selection lines of Nellore cattle. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, v. 15, n. 1, p. 15-pg., 2025-02-03. (18/20026-8, 24/01909-7, 24/05697-4, 21/09942-5, 17/10630-2, 23/11176-4, 22/11852-7, 17/50339-5)

PORTES, JULIANA VARCHAKI; RODRIGUES, GUSTAVO ROBERTO DIAS; DE VASCONCELLOS SILVA, JOSINEUDSON AUGUSTO, II; FREITAS, ANIELLY DE PAULA; MERCADANTE, MARIA EUGENIA ZERLOTTI; BONILHA, SARAH FIGUEIREDO MARTINS; CANESIN, ROBERTA CARRILHO; VALENTE, JULIA DE PAULA SOARES; CYRILLO, JOSLAINE NOELY DOS SANTOS GONCALVES. Effects of inbreeding on production traits and genetic evaluations in Guzerá beef cattle raised under tropical conditions. TROPICAL ANIMAL HEALTH AND PRODUCTION, v. 56, n. 4, p. 12-pg., 2024-05-01. (17/50339-5, 23/11176-4)

SOUZA, LUANA LELIS; DOMINGUEZ-CASTANO, PABLO; GIANVECCHIO, SARAH BERNARDES; SAKAMOTO, LEANDRO SANNOMIYA; RODRIGUES, GUSTAVO ROBERTO DIAS; SOARES, TAINARA LUANA DA SILVA; BONILHA, SARAH FIGUEIREDO MARTINS; MARCATTO, JULIANA DE OLIVEIRA SANTOS; ALBUQUERQUE, LUCIA GALVAO; SILVA, JOSINEUDSON AUGUSTO I. I. VASCONCELOS; et al. Heritability estimates and genome-wide association study of methane emission traits in Nellore cattle. JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE, v. 102, p. 10-pg., 2024-07-27. (17/10630-2, 18/20026-8, 23/11176-4, 17/50339-5, 18/17313-5, 19/11738-7)

CARVALHO, HANNA GABRYELLA ANDRADE COSTA; SILVA, DANILO MUNDIM; RODRIGUES, GUSTAVO ROBERTO DIAS; GAMEIRO, AUGUSTO HAUBER; SANTOS, RENATA FERREIRA DOS; RAINERI, CAMILA; LIMA, ANNA MONTEIRO CORREIA. Estimation of economic losses due to leptospirosis in dairy cattle. PREVENTIVE VETERINARY MEDICINE, v. 229, p. 8-pg., 2024-06-17. (23/11176-4)

RODRIGUES, GUSTAVO R. D.; VALENTE, JULIA P. S.; REZENDE, VANESSA T.; ARAUJO, LUIS F. C.; SILVANETO, JOAO B.; MOTA, LUCIO F. M.; SANTANA, MARIO L.; CANESIN, ROBERTA C.; BONILHA, SARAH F. M.; ALBUQUERQUE, LUCIA G.; et al. Genetic Parameters of Resilience Indicators Across Growth in Beef Heifers and Their Associations With Weight, Reproduction, Calf Performance and Pre-Weaning Survival. JOURNAL OF ANIMAL BREEDING AND GENETICS, v. N/A, p. 13-pg., 2025-06-23. (22/15385-4, 24/05697-4, 17/50339-5, 23/11176-4, 17/10630-2, 24/04755-0, 22/11852-7)

RODRIGUES, GUSTAVO ROBERTO DIAS; REZENDE, VANESSA THEODORO; MERCADANTE, MARIA EUGENIA ZERLOTTI; BONILHA, SARAH FIGUEIREDO MARTINS; CANESIN, ROBERTA CARRILHO; RAINERI, CAMILA; VALENTE, JULIA DE PAULA SOARES; LIGORI, VIVIANE ANDRADE; CYRILLO, JOSLAINE NOELY DOS SANTOS GONSALVES. Animal growth models as a tool to estimate resilience indicators in Bos indicus and Bos taurus heifers: Selection effects and genetics parameters. LIVESTOCK SCIENCE, v. 282, p. 9-pg., 2024-03-07. (17/50339-5, 23/11176-4)

RODRIGUES, GUSTAVO R. D.; BRITO, LUIZ F.; MOTA, LUCIO F. M.; CYRILLO, JOSLAINE N. S. G.; VALENTE, JULIA P. S.; BENFICA, LORENA F.; NETO, JOAO B. SILVA; BORGES, MARCELO S.; MONTEIRO, FABIO M.; EL FARO, LENIRA; et al. Genome-wide association studies and functional annotation of pre-weaning calf mortality and reproductive traits in Nellore cattle from experimental selection lines. BMC Genomics, v. 25, n. 1, p. 17-pg., 2024-12-18. (24/01909-7, 24/05697-4, 17/10630-2, 23/11176-4, 22/11852-7, 17/50339-5)