ORCID Profile
0000-0003-0233-6846
Current Organisation
University of Nottingham
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Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 06-2017
DOI: 10.1534/GENETICS.116.192674
Abstract: The genetic architecture of behavioral traits in dogs is of great interest to owners, breeders, and professionals involved in animal welfare, as well as to scientists studying the genetics of animal (including human) behavior. The genetic component of dog behavior is supported by between-breed differences and some evidence of within-breed variation. However, it is a challenge to gather sufficiently large datasets to dissect the genetic basis of complex traits such as behavior, which are both time-consuming and logistically difficult to measure, and known to be influenced by nongenetic factors. In this study, we exploited the knowledge that owners have of their dogs to generate a large dataset of personality traits in Labrador Retrievers. While accounting for key environmental factors, we demonstrate that genetic variance can be detected for dog personality traits assessed using questionnaire data. We identified substantial genetic variance for several traits, including fetching tendency and fear of loud noises, while other traits revealed negligibly small heritabilities. Genetic correlations were also estimated between traits however, due to fairly large SEs, only a handful of trait pairs yielded statistically significant estimates. Genomic analyses indicated that these traits are mainly polygenic, such that in idual genomic regions have small effects, and suggested chromosomal associations for six of the traits. The polygenic nature of these traits is consistent with previous behavioral genetics studies in other species, for ex le in mouse, and confirms that large datasets are required to quantify the genetic variance and to identify the in idual genes that influence behavioral traits.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 14-08-2017
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 08-1998
DOI: 10.1046/J.1365-2052.1998.00327.X
Abstract: Genetic relationships among 37 European cattle breeds were investigated using blood group and serum protein polymorphisms. The 18,859 animals included in the study represented a random s le from pedigree populations in the UK. Within-breed variation was estimated by average heterozygosity and number of alleles observed, and breed relationships were evaluated by genetic distance. Standard errors of the heterozygosity, number of alleles and genetic distance were obtained by bootstrapping. The significance of breed differences was tested using an exact test of differentiation. French, Italian and Channel Island breeds were found to have generally higher heterozygosities and a greater number of alleles than breeds from mainland Britain and North Europe. Genetic distances ranged between 0.011 (+/- 0.005) and 0.309 (+/- 0.071). Two major breed groups were identified a group of French, Italian and Channel Island breeds together with the Simmental and Gelbvieh, and a second group consisting of the mainland British and North European breeds. The exact test of breed differentiation showed all breeds to be significantly different from one another (P < 0.0001). Overall relationships among breeds reflected their geographical origin and common ancestry rather than the agricultural use for which the breeds have been selected.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2014
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2022
DOI: 10.1016/J.JEVS.2022.103870
Abstract: Osteochondrosis (OC) is an important skeletal disease causing profound welfare concerns in horses. Although numerous studies have explored the genetics underlying OC in various breeds, the Belgian Warmblood (BW) remains unstudied despite having a concerning prevalence of 32.0%. As a result, this study aimed to conduct genome-wide association (GWA) analyses to identify candidate variants associated with OC in BWs. To achieve this, blood s les and radiographs were collected from 407 Belgian Warmbloods registered to one of two BW studbooks (Belgisch Warmbloedpaard and Zangersheide), and genotyping was performed using the 670K Axiom Equine Genotyping Array. GWA analyses using a principle component approach were then performed on OC status (OCS presence or absence of OC at any joint), hock OC status (HOC) and stifle OC status (SOC). These analyses yielded significantly associated (P < .01) SNPs on Equus caballus chromosome (ECA) 3, ECA 12, and ECA 18 for OCS however, no single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) reached significance for HOC or SOC. Subsequent analysis of candidate genes within 500 kilobases of the significant SNPs revealed functions broadly related to cell differentiation and chondrocyte development. While this study represents another step forward in uncovering variants and biological pathways associated with OC, additional studies are needed to validate the newly identified candidate SNPs for OC in BWs. Further studies of OC in BWs, as well as other breeds, are critical in our efforts to fully understand the disease's etiopathogenesis and ultimately provide breeding programs better equipped to improve horse health and well-being.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 06-1999
DOI: 10.1046/J.1365-2540.1999.00521.X
Abstract: Genetic markers provide a potentially powerful means of identifying the breed of in idual animals. In this study diallelic and microsatellite loci were compared for their efficiency in discriminating among cattle breeds. Data were simulated for seven European cattle breeds using allele frequencies estimated at 20 microsatellite and 30 diallelic markers. Animals were assigned to the breed for which their genotype had the highest probability, and the power of the method assessed by estimating the error rate or proportion of animals misclassified. The number of markers required for discriminating among pure, or both pure and crossbreed, animals was investigated using either randomly s led markers or markers selected on in idual error rate. The relationship between in idual marker variability and discriminatory power was also investigated. Microsatellite markers were found to be more powerful than diallelic markers for distinguishing among the breeds. The most discriminatory markers were those with the highest average heterozygosity and observed number of alleles. The number of markers needed to achieve a particular error rate could be reduced by selecting markers with the lowest in idual error rates. Discrimination among both crossbreeds and pure breeds required approximately three times as many markers as discrimination among pure breeds alone.
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
No related grants have been discovered for Sarah Blott.