GWAS is an analysis of the biochemical and fatty acid composition of the milk of cows of red Belarusian cattle

A GWAS analysis was conducted to identify single-nucleotide polymorphism markers determining improved milk quality indicators. The final sample consisted of 454 genotypes of individuals: 129 Red Belarusian cattle, 325 Red Gorbatov breed. SNP genotyping was performed using the BovineSNP50 v3.0 biochip (Illumina). The genotype read efficiency averaged 0.979 (call rate). A search for candidate genes was performed in the NCBI database for the Bos_taurus_UMD_3.1.1 genome assembly. The CattleQTLdb database was used to search for QTL. The Bonferroni correction was used to adjust the resulting P value. Milk acidity is within the physiological norm, indicating the stability of protein and lipid metabolism. The freezing point corresponds to standard indicators of high-quality milk. Ketone body levels (acetone 0.08 mmol/L, beta-hydroxybutyrate 0.04 mmol/L) are low, indicating the absence of ketosis issues in the herd. Urea levels (23.29 mg/100 ml) are within the normal range, indicating a balanced protein diet for the animals. High levels of palmitic acid (1.03 g/100 g) are observed as the main component of milk fat, and among the acids, a significant proportion are long-chain (1.83 g/100 g) and mediumchain (1.69 g/100 g) fatty acids. However, the content of polyunsaturated acids (0.13 g/100 g) is low. A genome-wide analysis of milk component composition in Belarusian Red cattle revealed the most significant associations of polymorphisms in 17 genes: CTNND2, SEMA5A, POU6F2, MYO5A, FAM19A1, TNS3, PPP1R16A, CTNNA2, RCAN2, SYN3, UMAD1, PKHD1, BMP2K, KCTD8, CPNE5, OSBPL3, and EBF1. Moreover, the quantitative trait gene loci CTNND2, SEMA5A, FAM19A1, MYO5A, and POU6F2 are associated with several phenotypic traits. It was established that chromosomes 4, 5, 7, 11, 20, and 22 harbor genes associated with variability in a number of fatty acids, trace metabolites, casein, and trans fatty acid isomers for both Belarusian Red cattle and the Red Gorbatov breed of cows. Genes and QTLs characteristic only of Red Gorbatov cattle were identified on chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 9, 12, 13, 15, 17, 18, 24, 25, and 27-29. Significant polymorphisms were identified on chromosomes 6, 10, 14, and 23, determining variability in milk composition only for Belarusian Red cattle, which can be used for further breeding work.

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