** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** AN ONGOING GOAL OF ANIMAL GENOMICS IS TO IDENTIFY THOSE VARIANTS THAT DIRECTLY CAUSE PHENOTYPIC VARIATION IN ECONOMICALLY IMPORTANT TRAITS. MANY GENOMIC VARIANTS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED BUT PHENOTYPIC VARIATION IS OFTEN MORE COMPLEX THAN A SINGULAR CAUSE. LARGE, GENOME-WIDE ASSOCIATION STUDIES OFTEN IDENTIFY CAUSAL VARIANTS IN THE VAST, INTERGENIC REGIONS OF THE GENOME. RECENT EFFORTS TO ANNOTATE NON-CODING REGIONS OF THE GENOME HAVE MADE PROGRESS TOWARD IMPROVING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HOW GENOME VARIATION LEADS TO DIFFERENT PHENOTYPES. THE THREE-DIMENSIONAL SHAPE OF THE GENOME IS INFLUENCED BY THE CHEMICAL MODIFICATIONS FOUND IN DNA. THIS 3D STRUCTURE AND THESE CHEMICAL MODIFICATIONS COMPRISE PART OF THE EPIGENOME AND THIS EPIGENOME MAY BE UNIQUE BY A PARENT. THE EPIGENOME INFLUENCES GENE EXPRESSION AND, ULTIMATELY, THE PHENOTYPES WE SEE. HOW UNIQUE THE EPIGENOME BY CONTRIBUTING PARENT IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTANDING HOW OUR BREEDING DECISIONS IMPACT LIVESTOCK GENETICS AND PRODUCTION. OUR LONG-TERM GOAL IS TO FULLY DISCERN HOW VARIATION IN NONCODING REGIONS OF THE CATTLE GENOME AFFECTS GENE EXPRESSION, LEADING TO VARIATION IN PHENOTYPE. TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL WE MUST UNDERSTAND HOW CHROMOSOME STRUCTURE AND ORGANIZATION IN THE NUCLEUS LEADS TO CHANGES IN GENE EXPRESSION.