Validation of selection signatures for coat color in the Podolica Italiana gray cattle breed.

Taurine and indicine gray cattle represent relevant livestock resources in many countries of the world. A gray coat color and pigmented skin, which are common in most of the gray cattle breeds, have been demonstrated to confer better adaptation to solar radiation and thermal stresses. In a previous study adopting the F-outlier approach with BayeScan v2.

Population structure and identification of genomic regions associated with productive traits in five Italian beef cattle breeds.

Italy has a long history in beef production, with local breeds such as Marchigiana, Chianina, Romagnola, Maremmana, and Podolica which produce high-quality meat. Selection has improved meat production, precocity, growth ability and muscle development, but the genetic determinism of such traits is mostly unknown. Using 33K SNPs-data from young bulls (N = 4064) belonging to these five Italian breeds, we demonstrated that the Maremmana and Podolica rustic breeds are closely related, while the specialised Marchigiana, Chianina, and Romagnola breeds are more differentiated.

A genomic biomarker for the rapid identification of the rob(1;29) translocation in beef cattle breeds.

Robertsonian translocations, specifically rob(1;29) translocation, have reportedly been the most prevalent chromosomal abnormalities in cattle, affecting various breeds and leading to a decrease in fertility and reproductive value. Currently, the identification of rob(1;29) carriers relies on cytogenetic analysis that has limitations in terms of accessibility, cost, and sample requirements. To address these limitations, a novel genomic biomarker was developed in this study for the rapid and precise identification of rob(1;29) carriers.

Identification of a common haplotype in carriers of rob(1;29) in 32 Italian cattle breeds.

Robertsonian translocation 1;29 (rob(1;29)), a widespread chromosomal anomaly affecting cattle fertility, appears to have originated from a common ancestor. This study utilizes routine SNP data to investigate the chromosomal region associated with rob(1;29) and confirm the presence of a shared haplotype among carriers in diverse Italian breeds. Three datasets were employed: Dataset 1 included 151 subjects from 5 beef cattle breeds genotyped with the GGP Bovine 33 k SNP chip; Dataset 2 encompassed 800 subjects from 32 Italian breeds genotyped with the Illumina 50 k SNP chip, sourced from the BOVITA dataset; Dataset 3 combined Dataset 2 with 21 karyologically tested subjects from breeds with a high carrier frequency, genotyped using the Affymetrix 65 K SNP chip.