Genome-Wide Association Analysis of Cattle

Dear Colleagues,

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) using SNP chip data have significantly contributed to efforts in deciphering Mendelian and complex traits in many livestock species. Particularly, thousands of genetic variants and their potential role in Mendelian and complex traits were identified in cattle. However, there are many new phenotypic traits, mostly those difficult and cost-intensive to record, awaiting an in-depth analysis through genome-wide data. SNP chips cover bovine genes and genomes at a limited resolution, whereas genome-sequencing data offer a high coverage of genomes as well as a much high number of genetic and structural variants. These new analytical tools should increase the power of GWAS and open the possibility to target the mechanisms and genetic networks underlying complex traits as well as their interactions with the environment. Along with GWAS, new statistical analysis methods were developed to model population structure and relatedness among individuals—multiple simultaneous SNP analyses instead of SNP-by-SNP association studies, meta-analyses with large independent datasets, and methods to estimate and partition genetic variance due to segregating variants.

This Special Issue in Genes on “Animal Genetics and Genomics” will highlight the advances of understanding the biological consequences of variants tagging complex traits in order to improve animal health, welfare, and their interactions with efficiency of milk and beef cattle production. Research articles and short communications are invited to provide recent developments and the translation of GWAS discoveries into the biological understanding of complex traits.

Prof. Dr. Ottmar Distl
Guest Editor

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