Genetic markers associated with an indicator of heat stress tolerance in lactating Holstein cows from southern Sonora México.
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Abstract
Heat stress greatly influences lactating Holstein cattle located in southern Sonora, Mexico, where the temperature-humidity index (THI) easily exceeds the thermal comfort threshold for cows (>72 THI units) most of the year. Despite these hot conditions, some dairy cows are able to maintain their milk production. Using a simple regression model, daily milk production as a function of THI per day was used to estimate an indicator of heat tolerance (IHT). The objective of the present study was to identify molecular markers associated with IHT in Holstein cows milked during the summer. The study included 676 cows from three dairy farms in the Yaqui Valley, Sonora, Mexico. An individual blood sample was collected and placed on FTA cards, from which DNA was extracted and used to genotype 179 SNP corresponding to 43 genes of the Prolactin and GH-IGF1 functional axis. Association analyses between SNP genotypes and IHT values were performed using a mixed-effects model for continuous variables. The model included IHT as a response variable, genotype and herd as fixed effects, sire as random effect, and days in milk as covariate. Two SNP, one within the prolactin receptor gene (PRL-R; rs135164815) and other one within the signal transducer and activator of transcription-4 gene (STAT4; rs110344022) were associated with IHT (P < 0.01). The leastsquares means for the AA, AG, and GG genotypes of rs135164815 were 0.482 ± 0.06, 0.317 ± 0.04, and 0.201 ± 0.03 liters/day, respectively; whereas the least-squares means for the CC, CT, and TT genotypes of rs110344022 were 0.551 ± 0.05, 0.326 ± 0.04, and 0.123 ± 0.04 liters/day, respectively. In conclusion, two SNP belonging to the Prolactin and GH-IGF1 functional axes were found to be predictors of a heat tolerance indicator in lactating Holstein cows during summer warm months. These results provide evidence of a genetic basis associated with a favorable milk production performance in Holstein cows during summer.
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