Genome-Wide Association Study Using Whole-Genome Sequence Data for Fertility, Health Indicator, and Endoparasite Infection Traits in German Black Pied Cattle

This genome-wide association study (GWAS) aimed to identify sequence variants (SVs) and candidate genes associated with fertility and health in endangered German Black Pied cattle (DSN) based on whole-genome sequence (WGS) data. We used 304 sequenced DSN cattle for the imputation of 1797 genotyped DSN to WGS. The final dataset included 11,413,456 SVs of 1886 cows. Cow traits were calving-to-first service interval (CTFS), non-return after 56 days (NR56), somatic cell score (SCS), fat-to-protein ratio (FPR), and three pre-corrected endoparasite infection traits. We identified 40 SVs above the genome-wide significance and suggestive threshold associated with CTFS and NR56, and three important potential candidate genes (ARHGAP21, MARCH11, and ZNF462). For SCS, most associations were observed on BTA 25. The GWAS revealed 61 SVs, a cluster of 10 candidate genes on BTA 13, and 7 pathways for FPR, including key mediators involved in milk fat synthesis. The strongest associations for gastrointestinal nematode and Dictyocaulus viviparus infections were detected on BTA 8 and 24, respectively. For Fasciola hepatica infections, the strongest associated SVs were located on BTA 4 and 7. We detected 200 genes for endoparasite infection traits, related to 16 pathways involved in host immune response during infection.