Genetic Control of Ovulation Rate in Maine-Anjou Cattle

Abstract Text: Because ovulation rate (OR) is a sex-limited trait that is difficult to collect in commercial farms, this trait is an ideal candidate for gene-assisted selection. On a biological perspective, one may wonder whether the same biological mechanisms underline OR in heifers and cows. The objective of the study was to perform a genome-wide scan for quantitative trait loci (QTL) for heifer and cow OR in an experimental herd of Maine-Anjou cattle. QTL detection was performed by linkage disequilibrium and linkage analysis (LDLA) and Bayesian methods. Haplotype effects were estimated by regression analysis within paternal families. Analyses revealed QTL in 4 common chromosomic regions between heifer and cow phenotypes with strong effects of some haplotypes. However, OR in heifers and cows can not be considered as the same biological trait, since the major part of QTL were located in different regions for heifers and cows.

Keywords:

beef cattle

ovulation rate

QTL