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CLIMATIC STRESS IS A MAJOR LIMITING FACTOR OF PRODUCTION EFFICIENCY IN BEEF CATTLE IN TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL ENVIRONMENTS AND IN DAIRY CATTLE THROUGHOUT MOST OF THE WORLD. THIS STRESS IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE. MORE THAN HALF OF THE CATTLE IN THE WORLD ARE MAINTAINED IN HOT AND HUMID ENVIRONMENTS, INCLUDING ABOUT 40% OF BEEF COWS IN THE US. SUBSTANTIAL DIFFERENCES IN THERMAL TOLERANCE EXIST AMONG BREEDS AND AMONG ANIMALS WITHIN BREEDS INDICATIVE OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR SELECTIVE IMPROVEMENT. USE OF GENOMIC TOOLS TO PRODUCE AN ANIMAL WITH SUPERIOR ABILITY FOR BOTH THERMAL ADAPTATION AND FOOD PRODUCTION REPRESENTS AN ENERGY-EFFICIENT SUSTAINABLE APPROACH TO MEET THE CHALLENGE OF GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE.OUR LONG-TERM GOAL IS TO DEVELOP THE KNOWLEDGE AND TOOLS THE CATTLE INDUSTRY NEEDS TO INCREASE TOLERANCE TO HEAT STRESS, WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY ALLOWING FOR INCREASED EFFICIENCY OF PRODUCTION, REPRODUCTION, AND MEAT QUALITY. THE STRATEGY WE PROPOSE IS TO REVEAL THE GENETIC ARCHITECTURE OF TRAITS DEFINING THERMAL TOLERANCE USING BOS INDICUS INFLUENCED CATTLE. A POPULATION OF BRANGUS (BRAHMAN X ANGUS) CATTLE WILL BE USED IN THIS PROJECT. THE AIMS OF THIS PROJECT ARE TO DISCOVER GENETIC VARIANTS RESPONSIBLE FOR THERMAL TOLERANCE AND USE THIS KNOWLEDGE TO DEVELOP GENOMIC TOOLS FOR MARKER-ASSISTED SELECTION (MAS) TO IMPROVE THERMAL TOLERANCE IN CATTLE POPULATIONS AT RISK OF EXPOSURE TO HEAT STRESS. IN ADDITION, THE MATURATION OF TECHNOLOGIES FOR GENE EDITING MEANS THAT THERMOTOLERANCE GENES CAN BE RAPIDLY INTRODUCED INTO BEEF AND DAIRY CATTLE BREEDS. DEVELOPMENT OF "THE COW OF THE FUTURE" WILL BE REALIZED THROUGH USE OF GENOMIC SELECTION WITHIN BREEDS AND THROUGH APPLICATION OF GENE EDITING TECHNOLOGIES THAT ALLOW GENETIC VARIANTS CONFERRING THERMAL TOLERANCE TO BE RAPIDLY INCORPORATED INTO NON-ADAPTED BREEDS. INTRODUCTION OF ALLELES FOR THERMAL TOLERANCE INTO THE ELITE GERMPLASM OF A SPECIALIZED BREED PRODUCTIVELY SUPERIOR BUT POORLY ADAPTED TO TROPICAL ENVIRONMENTS OFFERS A POWERFUL NEW APPROACH TO ADDRESS THE CHALLENGES OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND DEVELOP CLIMATE-SMART PRODUCTIVE CATTLE FOR A FUTURE HOTTER WORLD.

$724,104FY2017National Institute of Food and AgricultureUSDA

University Of Florida, Gainesville FL

Investigators

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CLIMATIC STRESS IS A MAJOR LIMITING FACTOR OF PRODUCTION EFFICIENCY IN BEEF CATTLE IN TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL ENVIRONMENTS AND IN DAIRY CATTLE THROUGHOUT MOST OF THE WORLD. THIS STRESS IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE. MORE THAN HALF OF THE CATTLE IN THE WORLD ARE MAINTAINED IN HOT AND HUMID ENVIRONMENTS, INCLUDING ABOUT 40% OF BEEF COWS IN THE US. SUBSTANTIAL DIFFERENCES IN THERMAL TOLERANCE EXIST AMONG BREEDS AND AMONG ANIMALS WITHIN BREEDS INDICATIVE OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR SELECTIVE IMPROVEMENT. USE OF GENOMIC TOOLS TO PRODUCE AN ANIMAL WITH SUPERIOR ABILITY FOR BOTH THERMAL ADAPTATION AND FOOD PRODUCTION REPRESENTS AN ENERGY-EFFICIENT SUSTAINABLE APPROACH TO MEET THE CHALLENGE OF GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE.OUR LONG-TERM GOAL IS TO DEVELOP THE KNOWLEDGE AND TOOLS THE CATTLE INDUSTRY NEEDS TO INCREASE TOLERANCE TO HEAT STRESS, WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY ALLOWING FOR INCREASED EFFICIENCY OF PRODUCTION, REPRODUCTION, AND MEAT QUALITY. THE STRATEGY WE PROPOSE IS TO REVEAL THE GENETIC ARCHITECTURE OF TRAITS DEFINING THERMAL TOLERANCE USING BOS INDICUS INFLUENCED CATTLE. A POPULATION OF BRANGUS (BRAHMAN X ANGUS) CATTLE WILL BE USED IN THIS PROJECT. THE AIMS OF THIS PROJECT ARE TO DISCOVER GENETIC VARIANTS RESPONSIBLE FOR THERMAL TOLERANCE AND USE THIS KNOWLEDGE TO DEVELOP GENOMIC TOOLS FOR MARKER-ASSISTED SELECTION (MAS) TO IMPROVE THERMAL TOLERANCE IN CATTLE POPULATIONS AT RISK OF EXPOSURE TO HEAT STRESS. IN ADDITION, THE MATURATION OF TECHNOLOGIES FOR GENE EDITING MEANS THAT THERMOTOLERANCE GENES CAN BE RAPIDLY INTRODUCED INTO BEEF AND DAIRY CATTLE BREEDS. DEVELOPMENT OF "THE COW OF THE FUTURE" WILL BE REALIZED THROUGH USE OF GENOMIC SELECTION WITHIN BREEDS AND THROUGH APPLICATION OF GENE EDITING TECHNOLOGIES THAT ALLOW GENETIC VARIANTS CONFERRING THERMAL TOLERANCE TO BE RAPIDLY INCORPORATED INTO NON-ADAPTED BREEDS. INTRODUCTION OF ALLELES FOR THERMAL TOLERANCE INTO THE ELITE GERMPLASM OF A SPECIALIZED BREED PRODUCTIVELY SUPERIOR BUT POORLY ADAPTED TO TROPICAL ENVIRONMENTS OFFERS A POWERFUL NEW APPROACH TO ADDRESS THE CHALLENGES OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND DEVELOP CLIMATE-SMART PRODUCTIVE CATTLE FOR A FUTURE HOTTER WORLD. · GrantIndex