Genome-wide association study for semen production traits in Holstein-Friesian bulls

Identifying genomic regions, particularly individual genes associated with semen quality traits, may be very important for improving sire fertility via selective breeding. The aim of the study was to estimate (co)variance components and effects of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) from the Illumina BovineSNP50 BeadChip (Illumina, San Diego, CA) on semen production traits and to find candidate genes for these traits. The analyzed data set originates from the Polish Holstein-Friesian dairy cattle population and consists of 1,212 bulls kept at 4 artificial insemination stations. For each bull, 5 semen production traits were collected: sperm concentration, semen volume, number of spermatozoa, motility, and motility score. A multitrait mixed model was used to estimate genetic parameters. The parameters obtained were used to estimate SNP effects for each trait separately by the mixed model, which is used in the Polish direct genomic value project. Additionally, genes located in the vicinity of significant SNP were selected as candidate genes. For motility, 20 genome-wide significant SNP, located on 12 autosomes, were identified. For sperm concentration, we found 7 significant SNP: 3 on chromosome X, and 1 on chromosomes 1, 6, 23, and 24. For semen volume and motility score, 3 and 1 significant SNP were detected, respectively. All these SNP were located on chromosome X. For the number of spermatozoa, 12 significant SNP were observed. Six SNP were located on chromosome X, 3 on chromosome 8, and 1 on chromosomes 2, 7, and 16. This study clearly indicated a key role of the X chromosome in the determination of semen quality and emphasized that including such traits into genetic evaluation should be strongly considered.