• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.516-524
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• 2021

Objective: The genetic evaluation of Santa Inês sheep was performed for resistance to gastrointestinal nematode infection (RGNI) and body size using different relationship matrices to assess the efficiency of including genomic information in the analyses. Methods: There were 1,637 animals in the pedigree and 500, 980, and 980 records of RGNI, thoracic depth (TD), and rump height (RH), respectively. The genomic data consisted of 42,748 SNPs and 388 samples genotyped with the OvineSNP50 BeadChip. The (co)variance components were estimated in single- and multi-trait analyses using the numerator relationship matrix (A) and the hybrid matrix H, which blends A with the genomic relationship matrix (G). The BLUP and single-step genomic BLUP methods were used. The accuracies of estimated breeding values and Spearman rank correlation were also used to assess the feasibility of incorporating genomic information in the analyses. Results: The heritability estimates ranged from 0.11±0.07, for TD (in single-trait analysis using the A matrix), to 0.38±0.08, for RH (using the H matrix in multi-trait analysis). The estimates of genetic correlation ranged from -0.65±0.31 to 0.59±0.19, using A, and from -0.42±0.30 to 0.57±0.16 using H. The gains in accuracy of estimated breeding values ranged from 2.22% to 75.00% with the inclusion of genomic information in the analyses. Conclusion: The inclusion of genomic information will benefit the direct selection for the traits in this study, especially RGNI and TD. More information is necessary to improve the understanding on the genetic relationship between resistance to nematode infection and body size in Santa Inês sheep. The genetic evaluation for the evaluated traits was more efficient when genomic information was included in the analyses.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.30 no.7
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• pp.907-911
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• 2017

Objective: Intramuscular fat is one of the meat quality traits that is considered in the selection strategies for Hanwoo (Korean cattle). Different methods are used to estimate the breeding value of selection candidates. In the present work we focused on accuracy of different genotype relationship matrices as described by forni and pedigree based relationship matrix. Methods: The data set included a total of 778 animals that were genotyped for BovineSNP50 BeadChip. Among these 778 animals, 72 animals were sires for 706 reference animals and were used as a validation dataset. Single trait animal model (best linear unbiased prediction and genomic best linear unbiased prediction) was used to estimate the breeding values from genomic and pedigree information. Results: The diagonal elements for the pedigree based coefficients were slightly higher for the genomic relationship matrices (GRM) based coefficients while off diagonal elements were considerably low for GRM based coefficients. The accuracy of breeding value for the pedigree based relationship matrix (A) was 13% while for GRM (GOF, G05, and Yang) it was 0.37, 0.45, and 0.38, respectively. Conclusion: Accuracy of GRM was 1.5 times higher than A in this study. Therefore, genomic information will be more beneficial than pedigree information in the Hanwoo breeding program.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.357-366
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• 2010

The emergence of next-generation sequencing technologies has lead to application of new computational and statistical methodologies that allow incorporating genetic information from entire genomes of many individuals composing the population. For example, using single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) obtained from whole genome amplification platforms such as the Ilummina BovineSNP50 chip, many researchers are actively engaged in the genetic evaluation of cattle livestock using whole genome relationship analyses. In this study, we estimated the genomic relationship matrix (GRM) and compared it with one computed using a pedigree relationship matrix (PRM) using a population of Hanwoo. This project is a preliminary study that will eventually include future work on genomic selection and prediction. Data used in this study were obtained from 187 blood samples consisting of the progeny of 20 young bulls collected after parentage testing from the Hanwoo improvement center, National Agriculture Cooperative Federation as well as 103 blood samples from the progeny of 12 proven bulls collected from farms around the Kyong-buk area in South Korea. The data set was divided into two cases for analysis. In the first case missing genotypes were included. In the second case missing genotypes were excluded. The effect of missing genotypes on the accuracy of genomic relationship estimation was investigated. Estimation of relationships using genomic information was also carried out chromosome by chromosome for whole genomic SNP markers based on the regression method using allele frequencies across loci. The average correlation coefficient and standard deviation between relationships using pedigree information and chromosomal genomic information using data which was verified using a parentage test andeliminated missing genotypes was $0.81{\pm}0.04$ and their correlation coefficient when using whole genomic information was 0.98, which was higher. Variation in relationships between non-inbred half sibs was $0.22{\pm}0.17$ on chromosomal and $0.22{\pm}0.04$ on whole genomic SNP markers. The variations were larger and unusual values were observed when non-parentage test data were included. So, relationship matrix by genomic information can be useful for genetic evaluation of animal breeding.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.254-260
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• 2014

Best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP) has been used to estimate the fixed effects and random effects of complex traits. Traditionally, genomic relationship matrix-based (GRM) and random marker-based BLUP analyses are prevalent to estimate the genetic values of complex traits. We used three methods: GRM-based prediction (G-BLUP), random marker-based prediction using an identity matrix (so-called single-nucleotide polymorphism [SNP]-BLUP), and SNP-SNP variance-covariance matrix (so-called SNP-GBLUP). We used 35,675 SNPs and R package "rrBLUP" for the BLUP analysis. The SNP-SNP relationship matrix was calculated using the GRM and Sherman-Morrison-Woodbury lemma. The SNP-GBLUP result was very similar to G-BLUP in the prediction of genetic values. However, there were many discrepancies between SNP-BLUP and the other two BLUPs. SNP-GBLUP has the merit to be able to predict genetic values through SNP effects.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.681-691
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• 2021

The estimated breeding value (EBV) and accuracy of Hanwoo steer (Korean cattle) is an indicator that can predict the slaughter time in the future and carcass performance outcomes. Recently, studies using pedigrees and genotypes are being actively conducted to improve the accuracy of the EBV. In this study, the pedigree and genotype of 46 steers obtained from livestock farm A in Gyeongnam were used for a pedigree best linear unbiased prediction (PBLUP) and a genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP) to estimate and analyze the breeding value and accuracy of the carcass weight (CWT), eye muscle area (EMA), back-fat thickness (BFT), and marbling score (MS). PBLUP estimated the EBV and accuracy by constructing a numeric relationship matrix (NRM) from the 46 steers and reference population I (545,483 heads) with the pedigree and phenotype. GBLUP estimated genomic EBV (GEBV) and accuracy by constructing a genomic relationship matrix (GRM) from the 46 steers and reference population II (16,972 heads) with the genotype and phenotype. As a result, in the order of CWT, EMA, BFT, and MS, the accuracy levels of PBLUP were 0.531, 0.519, 0.524 and 0.530, while the accuracy outcomes of GBLUP were 0.799, 0.779, 0.768, and 0.810. The accuracy estimated by GBLUP was 50.1 - 53.1% higher than that estimated by PBLUP. GEBV estimated with the genotype is expected to show higher accuracy than the EBV calculated using only the pedigree and is thus expected to be used as basic data for genomic selection in the future.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.165-171
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• 2013

Genomic relationship matrix (GRM) was constructed using whole genome SNP markers of swine and genomic breeding value was estimated by substitution of the numerator relationship matrix (NRM) based on pedigree information to GRM. Genotypes of 40,706 SNP markers from 448 pure Landrace pigs were used in this study and five kinds of GRM construction methods, G05, GMF, GOF, $GOF^*$ and GN, were compared with each other and with NRM. Coefficients of GOF considering each of observed allele frequencies showed the lowest deviation with coefficients of NRM and as coefficients of GMF considering the average minor allele frequency showed huge deviation from coefficients of NRM, movement of mean was expected by methods of allele frequency consideration. All GRM construction methods, except for $GOF^*$, showed normally distributed Mendelian sampling. As the result of breeding value (BV) estimation for days to 90 kg (D90KG) and average back-fat thickness (ABF) using NRM and GRM, correlation between BV of NRM and GRM was the highest by GOF and as genetic variance was overestimated by $GOF^*$, it was confirmed that scale of GRM is closely related with estimation of genetic variance. With the same amount of phenotype information, accuracy of BV based on genomic information was higher than BV based on pedigree information and these symptoms were more obvious for ABF then D90KG. Genetic evaluation of animal using relationship matrix by genomic information could be useful when there is lack of phenotype or relationship and prediction of BV for young animals without phenotype.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.26 no.12
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• pp.1672-1679
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• 2013

Linkage disequilibrium between markers or genetic variants underlying interesting traits affects many genomic methodologies. In many genomic methodologies, the effective population size ($N_e$) is important to assess the genetic diversity of animal populations. In this study, dairy cattle were genotyped using the Illumina BoviveHD Genotyping BeadChips for over 777,000 SNPs located across all autosomes, mitochondria and sex chromosomes, and 70,000 autosomal SNPs were selected randomly for the final analysis. We characterized more accurate linkage disequilibrium in a sample of 96 dairy cattle producing milk in Korea. Estimated linkage disequilibrium was relatively high between closely linked markers (>0.6 at 10 kb) and decreased with increasing distance. Using formulae that related the expected linkage disequilibrium to $N_e$, and assuming a constant actual population size, $N_e$ was estimated to be approximately 122 in this population. Historical $N_e$, calculated assuming linear population growth, was suggestive of a rapid increase $N_e$ over the past 10 generations, and increased slowly thereafter. Additionally, we corrected the genomic relationship structure per chromosome in calculating $r^2$ and estimated $N_e$. The observed $N_e$ based on $r^2$ corrected by genomics relationship structure can be rationalized using current knowledge of the history of the dairy cattle breeds producing milk in Korea.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.357-362
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• 2007

Nine brand populations of Hanwoo cattle were characterized using 11 microsatellite DNA markers. The studied populations were: Ansung, Yangpyang, DaeGwanryeng, Palkongsangkangwoo, Hoengseong, Jangsu, Sumjinkang, Hadong, Nam-hae. The observed heterozygosity, expected heterozygosity, and polymorphism information content were calculated. Allele frequencies were calculated and used for the characterization of each brand population and to study their genetic relationships. Genetic distances were estimated using Nei's DA genetic distance and the resultant DA matrix was used in the construction of phylogenetic trees. The NJ tree showed that Ansung and Yangpyang, Sumjinkang and Jangsu, Namhae and Ha-Dong are closely related and are considered to have undergone genetic exchange within the same locale. This study will contribute to the local Hanwoo brand industry.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.243-247
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• 2016

Growth traits, such as body weight, directly influence productivity and economic efficiency in the swine industry. In this study, we estimate heritability for body weight traits usinginformation from pedigree and genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chip data. Four body weight phenotypes were measured in 1,105 $F_2$ progeny from an intercross between Landrace and Jeju native black pigs. All experimental animals were subjected to genotypic analysis using PorcineSNP60K BeadChip platform, and 39,992 autosomal SNP markers filtered by quality control criteria were used to construct genomic relationship matrix for heritability estimation. Restricted maximum likelihood estimates of heritability were obtained using both genomic- and pedigree- relationship matrix in a linear mixed model. The heritability estimates using SNP information were smaller (0.36-0.55) than those which were estimated using pedigree information (0.62-0.97). To investigate effect of common environment, such as maternal effect, on heritability estimation, we included maternal effect as an additional random effect term in the linear mixed model analysis. We detected substantial proportions of phenotypic variance components were explained by maternal effect. And the heritability estimates using both pedigree and SNP information were decreased. Therefore, heritability estimates must be interpreted cautiously when there are obvious common environmental variance components.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.36 no.7
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• pp.1003-1009
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• 2023

Objective: The objective was to compare (pedigree-based) best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP), genomic BLUP (GBLUP), and single-step GBLUP (ssGBLUP) methods for genomic evaluation of growth traits in a Mexican Braunvieh cattle population. Methods: Birth (BW), weaning (WW), and yearling weight (YW) data of a Mexican Braunvieh cattle population were analyzed with BLUP, GBLUP, and ssGBLUP methods. These methods are differentiated by the additive genetic relationship matrix included in the model and the animals under evaluation. The predictive ability of the model was evaluated using random partitions of the data in training and testing sets, consistently predicting about 20% of genotyped animals on all occasions. For each partition, the Pearson correlation coefficient between adjusted phenotypes for fixed effects and non-genetic random effects and the estimated breeding values (EBV) were computed. Results: The random contemporary group (CG) effect explained about 50%, 45%, and 35% of the phenotypic variance in BW, WW, and YW, respectively. For the three methods, the CG effect explained the highest proportion of the phenotypic variances (except for YW-GBLUP). The heritability estimate obtained with GBLUP was the lowest for BW, while the highest heritability was obtained with BLUP. For WW, the highest heritability estimate was obtained with BLUP, the estimates obtained with GBLUP and ssGBLUP were similar. For YW, the heritability estimates obtained with GBLUP and BLUP were similar, and the lowest heritability was obtained with ssGBLUP. Pearson correlation coefficients between adjusted phenotypes for non-genetic effects and EBVs were the highest for BLUP, followed by ssBLUP and GBLUP. Conclusion: The successful implementation of genetic evaluations that include genotyped and non-genotyped animals in our study indicate a promising method for use in genetic improvement programs of Braunvieh cattle. Our findings showed that simultaneous evaluation of genotyped and non-genotyped animals improved prediction accuracy for growth traits even with a limited number of genotyped animals.