A genome-wide association study for quantitative trait loci of show-jumping in Hanoverian warmblood horses.
- Journal Article
Summary
The research study explores the genetic factors contributing to show-jumping abilities in Hanoverian warmblood horses. This was achieved through a genome-wide association study (GWAS) identifying the most influential genetic loci, or Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL), associated with the ability and style for show-jumping.
Research Methodology
The researchers utilized genotyping to identify variations in the genetic makeup of the horses being studied. The genotyping was done using the Illumina equine SNP50 Beadchip on a sample set of 115 stallions from the National State stud of Lower Saxony. The research employed a variety of statistical models including:
- Mixed linear animal model (MLM) to address potential spurious associations due to population stratification.
- Linear models with fixed effects only and adaptive permutations for the purpose of correcting multiple testing
Results
The researchers found that the most adequate stratification was considering Hanoverian, Thoroughbred, Trakehner and Holsteiner genes and the marker identity-by-state relationship matrix. The team identified six quantitive trait loci (QTL) for show-jumping on four specific horse chromosomes 1, 8, 9, and 26, along with additional potential QTL on chromosomes 1, 3, 11, 17, and 21.
In six identified QTL regions, the team located several human performance-related genes such as PAPSS2, MYL2, TRHR, and GABPA. In the putative QTL regions, additional genes identified included NRAP and TBX4.
Conclusion
The results highlight the crucial role of genes involved in muscle structure, development, and metabolism for elite show-jumping performance. This provides some insight into the genetic factors that contribute to the ability of Hanoverian warmblood horses to excel in show-jumping. However, the researchers stress that further studies are necessary to validate these findings in larger datasets and in other horse populations. The research findings may have implications on breeding programs aimed at show-jumping performance.
Cite This Article
Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Institute for Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Germany.
MeSH Terms
- Alleles
- Animals
- Chromosome Mapping
- Chromosomes, Mammalian
- Female
- Gene Frequency
- Genetic Association Studies / methods
- Horses / genetics
- Linear Models
- Male
- Phenotype
- Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
- Quantitative Trait Loci
Citations
This article has been cited 14 times.- Nazari-Ghadikolaei A, Fikse WF, Viklund ÅG, Mikko S, Eriksson S. Single-Step Genome-Wide Association Study of Factors for Evaluated and Linearly Scored Traits in Swedish Warmblood Horses. J Anim Breed Genet 2025 Sep;142(5):499-512.
- Han Y, Jia Q, Tian Y, Yan Y, He K, Zhao X. Multi-omics reveals changed energy metabolism of liver and muscle by caffeine after mice swimming. PeerJ 2024;12:e16677.
- Lindsay-McGee V, Sanchez-Molano E, Banos G, Clark EL, Piercy RJ, Psifidi A. Genetic characterisation of the Connemara pony and the Warmblood horse using a within-breed clustering approach. Genet Sel Evol 2023 Aug 17;55(1):60.
- Dugué M, Dumont Saint Priest B, Crichan H, Danvy S, Ricard A. Genomic Correlations Between the Gaits of Young Horses Measured by Accelerometry and Functional Longevity in Jumping Competition. Front Genet 2021;12:619947.
- Zhou Z, Fan Y, Wang G, Lai Z, Gao Y, Wu F, Lei C, Dang R. Detection of Selection Signatures Underlying Production and Adaptive Traits Based on Whole-Genome Sequencing of Six Donkey Populations. Animals (Basel) 2020 Oct 7;10(10).
- Ablondi M, Eriksson S, Tetu S, Sabbioni A, Viklund Å, Mikko S. Genomic Divergence in Swedish Warmblood Horses Selected for Equestrian Disciplines. Genes (Basel) 2019 Nov 27;10(12).
- Norton E, Schultz N, Geor R, McFarlane D, Mickelson J, McCue M. Genome-Wide Association Analyses of Equine Metabolic Syndrome Phenotypes in Welsh Ponies and Morgan Horses. Genes (Basel) 2019 Nov 6;10(11).
- Raudsepp T, Finno CJ, Bellone RR, Petersen JL. Ten years of the horse reference genome: insights into equine biology, domestication and population dynamics in the post-genome era. Anim Genet 2019 Dec;50(6):569-597.
- Gurgul A, Jasielczuk I, Semik-Gurgul E, Pawlina-Tyszko K, Stefaniuk-Szmukier M, Szmatoła T, Polak G, Tomczyk-Wrona I, Bugno-Poniewierska M. A genome-wide scan for diversifying selection signatures in selected horse breeds. PLoS One 2019;14(1):e0210751.
- Velie BD, Fegraeus KJ, Solé M, Rosengren MK, Røed KH, Ihler CF, Strand E, Lindgren G. A genome-wide association study for harness racing success in the Norwegian-Swedish coldblooded trotter reveals genes for learning and energy metabolism. BMC Genet 2018 Aug 29;19(1):80.
- Wang Z, Zhang H, Yang H, Wang S, Rong E, Pei W, Li H, Wang N. Genome-wide association study for wool production traits in a Chinese Merino sheep population. PLoS One 2014;9(9):e107101.
- Lee JR, Hong CP, Moon JW, Jung YD, Kim DS, Kim TH, Gim JA, Bae JH, Choi Y, Eo J, Kwon YJ, Song S, Ko J, Yang YM, Lee HK, Park KD, Ahn K, Do KT, Ha HS, Han K, Yi JM, Cha HJ, Cho BW, Bhak J, Kim HS. Genome-wide analysis of DNA methylation patterns in horse. BMC Genomics 2014 Jul 15;15(1):598.
- Finno CJ, Bannasch DL. Applied equine genetics. Equine Vet J 2014 Sep;46(5):538-44.
- Wang H, Jiang L, Liu X, Yang J, Wei J, Xu J, Zhang Q, Liu JF. A post-GWAS replication study confirming the PTK2 gene associated with milk production traits in Chinese Holstein. PLoS One 2013;8(12):e83625.
