Exploration of the Polymorphism Distribution of Bovine Gene in Worldwide Breeds and Its Associations with Ovarian Traits.

The high-mobility group AT-hook 2() gene has been widely studied in the context of cancer and animal growth. However, recently, several studies have uncovered its critical role in cell proliferation. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) further suggests that the gene is a candidate gene in fertility, indicating its connection not only to growth traits but also to reproduction, specifically ovarian traits. Thus, this study aimed to analyze the distribution of the gene in 54 bovine breeds worldwide, identify important short fragment variants (indels), and investigate the relationship between and ovarian development. The dataset included genotypic information from a bovine population of 634 individuals (n = 634). After genotyping and analyzing four selected loci, we found that one out of four loci, rs133750033 (P4-D), was polymorphic. Our results also reveal that this indel of is significantly associated with certain ovarian traits ( 0.05). Specifically, it has connection with ovarian length ( = 0.004) and ovarian height ( = 0.026) during diestrus. Additionally, we discovered a higher expression of the gene in Asian cattle breeds. In summary, this study suggests that has the potential to serve as an animal fertility testing marker gene. Moreover, these findings contribute to a more promising outlook for the bovine industry.