FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 10000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2023; 13(4); 769; doi: 10.3390/ani13040769

Identification of Personality-Related Candidate Genes in Thoroughbred Racehorses Using a Bioinformatics-Based Approach Involving Functionally Annotated Human Genes.

Abstract: Considering the personality traits of racehorses (e.g., flightiness, anxiety, and affability) is considered essential to improve training efficiency and decrease accident frequency, especially when retraining for a second career that may involve contact with inexperienced personnel after retiring from racing. Studies on human personality-related genes are frequently conducted; however, such studies are rare in horses because a consistent methodology for personality evaluation is lacking. Using the recently published whole genome variant database of 101 Thoroughbred horses, we compared horse genes orthologous to human genes related to the Big Five personality traits, and identified 18 personality-related candidate genes in horses. These genes include 55 variants that involve non-synonymous substitutions that highly impact the encoded protein. Moreover, we evaluated the allele frequencies and functional impact on the proteins in terms of the difference in molecular weights and hydrophobicity levels between reference and altered amino acids. We identified 15 newly discovered genes that may affect equine personality, but their associations with personality are still unclear. Although more studies are required to compare genetic and behavioral information to validate this approach, it may be useful under limited conditions for personality evaluation.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2023-02-20 PubMed ID: 36830556PubMed Central: PMC9951868DOI: 10.3390/ani13040769Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
LinkedInCopy
  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The researchers of this study explored the genetic basis of personality traits in Thoroughbred horses, identifying 18 possible candidate genes that could influence behaviours like anxiety and affability. This was achieved by comparing horse genes to human genes associated with the Big Five personality traits, and further assessing the functional impact of genetic alterations.

Overview of the Methodology

  • The researchers utilized a database of whole genome variants from 101 Thoroughbred horses as their primary resource.
  • They identified horse genes that are orthologous i.e., equivalent to human genes related to the “Big Five” personality traits, which are Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism.
  • They selected 18 genes from horses that they speculated could be related to personality traits, based on these comparisons.

Investigation of Identified Genes

  • These 18 candidate genes incorporated 55 variants that involve what’s called non-synonymous substitutions – changes in the genetic sequence that can significantly alter the protein encoded by the gene.
  • The research team studied the allele frequencies of these variations, as well as their functional consequence on the proteins. They performed this by assessing differences in molecular weights and hydrophobicity levels between the reference (original) and altered amino acids.

Outcome of the Research

  • The researchers discovered 15 new genes that could potentially influence equine personality, although their exact associations with personality traits are not completely understood at this stage.

Need for Further Studies

  • The work signals a preliminary exploration into the genetic basis of personality in horses, and although it shows promise, the authors emphasise that more research is needed.
  • Further investigations will require comparing genetic information with behavioural information to solidify the link between these identified genes and personality traits.
  • If confirmed, this research could be useful for guiding horse training and understanding variable responses to training across individual horses, particularly given the limitations currently associated with evaluating horse personality.

Cite This Article

APA
Yokomori T, Ohnuma A, Tozaki T, Segawa T, Itou T. (2023). Identification of Personality-Related Candidate Genes in Thoroughbred Racehorses Using a Bioinformatics-Based Approach Involving Functionally Annotated Human Genes. Animals (Basel), 13(4), 769. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13040769

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 13
Issue: 4
PII: 769

Researcher Affiliations

Yokomori, Tamu
  • Nihon University Veterinary Research Center, Fujisawa 252-0880, Kanagawa, Japan.
Ohnuma, Aoi
  • Genetic Analysis Department, Laboratory of Racing Chemistry, Utsunomiya 320-0851, Tochigi, Japan.
Tozaki, Teruaki
  • Genetic Analysis Department, Laboratory of Racing Chemistry, Utsunomiya 320-0851, Tochigi, Japan.
Segawa, Takao
  • Nihon University Veterinary Research Center, Fujisawa 252-0880, Kanagawa, Japan.
Itou, Takuya
  • Nihon University Veterinary Research Center, Fujisawa 252-0880, Kanagawa, Japan.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

References

This article includes 42 references
  1. Holcomb KE, Stull CL, Kass PH. Characteristics of relinquishing and adoptive owners of horses associated with U.S. nonprofit equine rescue organizations.. J Appl Anim Welf Sci 2012;15(1):21-31.
    doi: 10.1080/10888705.2012.624049pubmed: 22233213google scholar: lookup
  2. Holcomb KE, Stull CL, Kass PH. Unwanted horses: The role of nonprofit equine rescue and sanctuary organizations.. J Anim Sci 2010 Dec;88(12):4142-50.
    doi: 10.2527/jas.2010-3250pubmed: 20709875google scholar: lookup
  3. Crawford KL, Finnane A, Greer RM, Phillips CJC, Woldeyohannes SM, Perkins NR, Ahern BJ. Appraising the Welfare of Thoroughbred Racehorses in Training in Queensland, Australia: The Incidence, Risk Factors and Outcomes for Horses after Retirement from Racing.. Animals (Basel) 2021 Jan 11;11(1).
    doi: 10.3390/ani11010142pmc: PMC7827103pubmed: 33440666google scholar: lookup
  4. Burattini B, Fenner K, Anzulewicz A, Romness N, McKenzie J, Wilson B, McGreevy P. Age-Related Changes in the Behaviour of Domestic Horses as Reported by Owners.. Animals (Basel) 2020 Dec 7;10(12).
    doi: 10.3390/ani10122321pmc: PMC7762420pubmed: 33297447google scholar: lookup
  5. Valenchon M, Lévy F, Prunier A, Moussu C, Calandreau L, Lansade L. Stress modulates instrumental learning performances in horses (Equus caballus) in interaction with temperament.. PLoS One 2013;8(4):e62324.
    doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0062324pmc: PMC3633893pubmed: 23626801google scholar: lookup
  6. Lansade L, Coutureau E, Marchand A, Baranger G, Valenchon M, Calandreau L. Dimensions of temperament modulate cue-controlled behavior: a study on Pavlovian to instrumental transfer in horses (Equus caballus).. PLoS One 2013;8(6):e64853.
    doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0064853pmc: PMC3682987pubmed: 23798994google scholar: lookup
  7. Swanberg JE, Clouser JM, Westneat SC, Marsh MW, Reed DB. Occupational injuries on thoroughbred horse farms: a description of Latino and non-Latino workers' experiences.. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2013 Nov 29;10(12):6500-16.
    doi: 10.3390/ijerph10126500pmc: PMC3881127pubmed: 24351785google scholar: lookup
  8. Swanberg JE, Clouser JM, Bush A, Westneat S. From the Horse Worker's Mouth: A Detailed Account of Injuries Experienced by Latino Horse Workers.. J Immigr Minor Health 2016 Jun;18(3):513-521.
    doi: 10.1007/s10903-015-0302-1pubmed: 26458955google scholar: lookup
  9. Sallis H, Davey Smith G, Munafò MR. Genetics of biologically based psychological differences.. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2018 Apr 19;373(1744).
    doi: 10.1098/rstb.2017.0162pmc: PMC5832687pubmed: 29483347google scholar: lookup
  10. Persson B. Genotype-Environment Correlation and Its Relation to Personality - A Twin and Family Study.. Twin Res Hum Genet 2020 Aug;23(4):228-234.
    doi: 10.1017/thg.2020.63pubmed: 32772950google scholar: lookup
  11. Heilbronner U, Papiol S, Budde M, Andlauer TFM, Strohmaier J, Streit F, Frank J, Degenhardt F, Heilmann-Heimbach S, Witt SH, Forstner AJ, Loerbroks A, Amelang M, Stürmer T, Müller-Myhsok B, Nöthen MM, Rietschel M, Schulze TG. "The Heidelberg Five" personality dimensions: Genome-wide associations, polygenic risk for neuroticism, and psychopathology 20 years after assessment.. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2021 Mar;186(2):77-89.
    doi: 10.1002/ajmg.b.32837pubmed: 33590662google scholar: lookup
  12. Le Scolan N, Hausberger M, Wolff A. Stability over situations in temperamental traits of horses as revealed by experimental and scoring approaches.. Behav Processes 1997 Dec;41(3):257-66.
    doi: 10.1016/S0376-6357(97)00052-1pubmed: 24896858google scholar: lookup
  13. Hausberger M, Bruderer C, Le Scolan N, Pierre JS. Interplay between environmental and genetic factors in temperament/personality traits in horses (Equus caballus).. J Comp Psychol 2004 Dec;118(4):434-46.
    doi: 10.1037/0735-7036.118.4.434pubmed: 15584780google scholar: lookup
  14. Jacobs LN, Staiger EA, Albright JD, Brooks SA. The MC1R and ASIP Coat Color Loci May Impact Behavior in the Horse.. J Hered 2016 May;107(3):214-9.
    doi: 10.1093/jhered/esw007pmc: PMC4885240pubmed: 26884605google scholar: lookup
  15. Momozawa Y, Takeuchi Y, Kusunose R, Kikusui T, Mori Y. Association between equine temperament and polymorphisms in dopamine D4 receptor gene.. Mamm Genome 2005 Jul;16(7):538-44.
    doi: 10.1007/s00335-005-0021-3pubmed: 16151699google scholar: lookup
  16. Roberts K, Hemmings AJ, Moore-Colyer M, Parker MO, McBride SD. Neural modulators of temperament: A multivariate approach to personality trait identification in the horse.. Physiol Behav 2016 Dec 1;167:125-131.
    doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.08.029pubmed: 27597134google scholar: lookup
  17. Kim J, Park Y, Kim EJ, Jung H, Yoon M. Relationship between oxytocin and serotonin and the fearfulness, dominance, and trainability of horses.. J Anim Sci Technol 2021 Mar;63(2):453-460.
    doi: 10.5187/jast.2021.e29pmc: PMC8071747pubmed: 33987618google scholar: lookup
  18. Momozawa Y, Takeuchi Y, Tozaki T, Kikusui T, Hasegawa T, Raudsepp T, Chowdhary BP, Kusunose R, Mori Y. SNP detection and radiation hybrid mapping in horses of nine candidate genes for temperament.. Anim Genet 2007 Feb;38(1):81-3.
    doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2052.2006.01541.xpubmed: 17257195google scholar: lookup
  19. Hori Y, Tozaki T, Nambo Y, Sato F, Ishimaru M, Inoue-Murayama M, Fujita K. Evidence for the effect of serotonin receptor 1A gene (HTR1A) polymorphism on tractability in Thoroughbred horses.. Anim Genet 2016 Feb;47(1):62-7.
    doi: 10.1111/age.12384pubmed: 26763159google scholar: lookup
  20. Fenner K, Dashper K, Serpell J, McLean A, Wilkins C, Klinck M, Wilson B, McGreevy P. The Development of a Novel Questionnaire Approach to the Investigation of Horse Training, Management, and Behaviour.. Animals (Basel) 2020 Oct 24;10(11).
    doi: 10.3390/ani10111960pmc: PMC7693391pubmed: 33114408google scholar: lookup
  21. Tozaki T, Ohnuma A, Kikuchi M, Ishige T, Kakoi H, Hirota KI, Kusano K, Nagata SI. Rare and common variant discovery by whole-genome sequencing of 101 Thoroughbred racehorses.. Sci Rep 2021 Aug 6;11(1):16057.
    doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-95669-1pmc: PMC8346562pubmed: 34362995google scholar: lookup
  22. Gene National Library of Medicine (US), National Center for Biotechnology Information: Bethesda, MD, USA. [(accessed on 5 October 2022)];2004 Available online: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/
  23. Jang KL, Livesley WJ, Vernon PA. Heritability of the big five personality dimensions and their facets: a twin study.. J Pers 1996 Sep;64(3):577-91.
    doi: 10.1111/j.1467-6494.1996.tb00522.xpubmed: 8776880google scholar: lookup
  24. Kalbfleisch TS, Rice ES, DePriest MS Jr, Walenz BP, Hestand MS, Vermeesch JR, O Connell BL, Fiddes IT, Vershinina AO, Saremi NF, Petersen JL, Finno CJ, Bellone RR, McCue ME, Brooks SA, Bailey E, Orlando L, Green RE, Miller DC, Antczak DF, MacLeod JN. Improved reference genome for the domestic horse increases assembly contiguity and composition.. Commun Biol 2018;1:197.
    doi: 10.1038/s42003-018-0199-zpmc: PMC6240028pubmed: 30456315google scholar: lookup
  25. Cunningham F, Allen JE, Allen J, Alvarez-Jarreta J, Amode MR, Armean IM, Austine-Orimoloye O, Azov AG, Barnes I, Bennett R, Berry A, Bhai J, Bignell A, Billis K, Boddu S, Brooks L, Charkhchi M, Cummins C, Da Rin Fioretto L, Davidson C, Dodiya K, Donaldson S, El Houdaigui B, El Naboulsi T, Fatima R, Giron CG, Genez T, Martinez JG, Guijarro-Clarke C, Gymer A, Hardy M, Hollis Z, Hourlier T, Hunt T, Juettemann T, Kaikala V, Kay M, Lavidas I, Le T, Lemos D, Marugán JC, Mohanan S, Mushtaq A, Naven M, Ogeh DN, Parker A, Parton A, Perry M, Piližota I, Prosovetskaia I, Sakthivel MP, Salam AIA, Schmitt BM, Schuilenburg H, Sheppard D, Pérez-Silva JG, Stark W, Steed E, Sutinen K, Sukumaran R, Sumathipala D, Suner MM, Szpak M, Thormann A, Tricomi FF, Urbina-Gómez D, Veidenberg A, Walsh TA, Walts B, Willhoft N, Winterbottom A, Wass E, Chakiachvili M, Flint B, Frankish A, Giorgetti S, Haggerty L, Hunt SE, IIsley GR, Loveland JE, Martin FJ, Moore B, Mudge JM, Muffato M, Perry E, Ruffier M, Tate J, Thybert D, Trevanion SJ, Dyer S, Harrison PW, Howe KL, Yates AD, Zerbino DR, Flicek P. Ensembl 2022.. Nucleic Acids Res 2022 Jan 7;50(D1):D988-D995.
    doi: 10.1093/nar/gkab1049pmc: PMC8728283pubmed: 34791404google scholar: lookup
  26. Kent WJ, Sugnet CW, Furey TS, Roskin KM, Pringle TH, Zahler AM, Haussler D. The human genome browser at UCSC.. Genome Res 2002 Jun;12(6):996-1006.
    doi: 10.1101/gr.229102pmc: PMC186604pubmed: 12045153google scholar: lookup
  27. Eisenberg D, Schwarz E, Komaromy M, Wall R. Analysis of membrane and surface protein sequences with the hydrophobic moment plot.. J Mol Biol 1984 Oct 15;179(1):125-42.
    doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(84)90309-7pubmed: 6502707google scholar: lookup
  28. Martin GG, McIntosh AL, Huang H, Gupta S, Atshaves BP, Landrock KK, Landrock D, Kier AB, Schroeder F. The human liver fatty acid binding protein T94A variant alters the structure, stability, and interaction with fibrates.. Biochemistry 2013 Dec 23;52(51):9347-57.
    doi: 10.1021/bi401014kpmc: PMC3930105pubmed: 24299557google scholar: lookup
  29. Taketomi T, Yasuda T, Morita R, Kim J, Shigeta Y, Eroglu C, Harada R, Tsuruta F. Autism-associated mutation in Hevin/Sparcl1 induces endoplasmic reticulum stress through structural instability.. Sci Rep 2022 Jul 13;12(1):11891.
    doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-15784-5pmc: PMC9279342pubmed: 35831437google scholar: lookup
  30. Fujikawa K, Nakahara K, Takasugi N, Nishiya T, Ito A, Uchida K, Uehara T. S-Nitrosylation at the active site decreases the ubiquitin-conjugating activity of ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2 D1 (UBE2D1), an ERAD-associated protein.. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2020 Apr 16;524(4):910-915.
    doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2020.02.011pubmed: 32051088google scholar: lookup
  31. Hirata T, Kizuka Y. N-Glycosylation.. Adv Exp Med Biol 2021;1325:3-24.
    doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-70115-4_1pubmed: 34495528google scholar: lookup
  32. Hunter T. Why nature chose phosphate to modify proteins.. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2012 Sep 19;367(1602):2513-6.
    doi: 10.1098/rstb.2012.0013pmc: PMC3415839pubmed: 22889903google scholar: lookup
  33. Terracciano A, Aschwanden D, Passamonti L, Toschi N, Stephan Y, Luchetti M, Lee JH, Sesker A, O'Súilleabháin PS, Sutin AR. Is neuroticism differentially associated with risk of Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, and frontotemporal dementia?. J Psychiatr Res 2021 Jun;138:34-40.
    doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.03.039pmc: PMC8192471pubmed: 33819874google scholar: lookup
  34. Adams MJ, Howard DM, Luciano M, Clarke TK, Davies G, Hill WD, Smith D, Deary IJ, Porteous DJ, McIntosh AM. Genetic stratification of depression by neuroticism: revisiting a diagnostic tradition.. Psychol Med 2020 Nov;50(15):2526-2535.
    doi: 10.1017/S0033291719002629pmc: PMC7737042pubmed: 31576797google scholar: lookup
  35. Pardiñas AF, Holmans P, Pocklington AJ, Escott-Price V, Ripke S, Carrera N, Legge SE, Bishop S, Cameron D, Hamshere ML, Han J, Hubbard L, Lynham A, Mantripragada K, Rees E, MacCabe JH, McCarroll SA, Baune BT, Breen G, Byrne EM, Dannlowski U, Eley TC, Hayward C, Martin NG, McIntosh AM, Plomin R, Porteous DJ, Wray NR, Caballero A, Geschwind DH, Huckins LM, Ruderfer DM, Santiago E, Sklar P, Stahl EA, Won H, Agerbo E, Als TD, Andreassen OA, Bækvad-Hansen M, Mortensen PB, Pedersen CB, Børglum AD, Bybjerg-Grauholm J, Djurovic S, Durmishi N, Pedersen MG, Golimbet V, Grove J, Hougaard DM, Mattheisen M, Molden E, Mors O, Nordentoft M, Pejovic-Milovancevic M, Sigurdsson E, Silagadze T, Hansen CS, Stefansson K, Stefansson H, Steinberg S, Tosato S, Werge T, Collier DA, Rujescu D, Kirov G, Owen MJ, O'Donovan MC, Walters JTR. Common schizophrenia alleles are enriched in mutation-intolerant genes and in regions under strong background selection.. Nat Genet 2018 Mar;50(3):381-389.
    doi: 10.1038/s41588-018-0059-2pmc: PMC5918692pubmed: 29483656google scholar: lookup
  36. Ahmad S, Khan H, Shahab U, Rehman S, Rafi Z, Khan MY, Ansari A, Siddiqui Z, Ashraf JM, Abdullah SM, Habib S, Uddin M. Protein oxidation: an overview of metabolism of sulphur containing amino acid, cysteine.. Front Biosci (Schol Ed) 2017 Jan 1;9(1):71-87.
    doi: 10.2741/s474pubmed: 27814576google scholar: lookup
  37. Eley TC, Tahir E, Angleitner A, Harriss K, McClay J, Plomin R, Riemann R, Spinath F, Craig I. Association analysis of MAOA and COMT with neuroticism assessed by peers.. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2003 Jul 1;120B(1):90-6.
    doi: 10.1002/ajmg.b.20046pubmed: 12815746google scholar: lookup
  38. Lloyd AS, Martin JE, Bornett-Gauci HLI, Wilkinson RG. Horse personality: Variation between breeds.. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 2008;112:369–383.
    doi: 10.1016/j.applanim.2007.08.010google scholar: lookup
  39. Christensen JW, Rundgren M, Olsson K. Training methods for horses: habituation to a frightening stimulus.. Equine Vet J 2006 Sep;38(5):439-43.
    doi: 10.2746/042516406778400574pubmed: 16986605google scholar: lookup
  40. Riva MG, Dai F, Huhtinen M, Minero M, Barbieri S, Dalla Costa E. The Impact of Noise Anxiety on Behavior and Welfare of Horses from UK and US Owner's Perspective.. Animals (Basel) 2022 May 21;12(10).
    doi: 10.3390/ani12101319pmc: PMC9138043pubmed: 35625165google scholar: lookup
  41. Lee KE, Kim JG, Lee H, Kim BS. Behavioral and cardiac responses in mature horses exposed to a novel object.. J Anim Sci Technol 2021 May;63(3):651-661.
    doi: 10.5187/jast.2021.e51pmc: PMC8203992pubmed: 34189512google scholar: lookup
  42. Lansade L, Bouissou M-F. Reactivity to Humans: A Temperament Trait of Horses Which Is Stable across Time and Situations.. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 2008;114:492–508.
    doi: 10.1016/j.applanim.2008.04.012google scholar: lookup

Citations

This article has been cited 2 times.
  1. Knox AL, Fenner K, Zsoldos RR, Wilson B, McGreevy P. Owner-Observed Behavioral Characteristics in Off-the-Track Thoroughbreds (OTTTBs) in Equestrian Second Careers. Animals (Basel) 2025 Jul 11;15(14).
    doi: 10.3390/ani15142046pubmed: 40723508google scholar: lookup
  2. Azcona F, Molina A, Demyda-Peyrás S. Genomic-Inbreeding Landscape and Selection Signatures in the Polo Argentino Horse Breed. Int J Mol Sci 2024 Dec 24;26(1).
    doi: 10.3390/ijms26010026pubmed: 39795883google scholar: lookup
Subscribe to our newsletter
Join 99,824 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.