Animal Molecular Breeding 2024, Vol.14, No.1, 27-35 http://animalscipublisher.com/index.php/amb 27 Research Article Open Access From GWAS to Breeding Practice: Genetic Research on Improving Milk Production in Cattle QiyuanMa , Xiaofang Lin Tropical Animal Center, Hainan Institute of Tropical Agricultural Resources, Sanya, 572025, Hainan, China Corresponding author email: 1285899168@qq.com Animal Molecular Breeding, 2024, Vol.14, No.1 doi: 10.5376/amb.2024.14.0004 Received: 09 Nov., 2023 Accepted: 27 Dec., 2023 Published: 19 Jan., 2024 Copyright © 2024 Ma and Lin, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Ma Q.X., and Lin X.F., 2024, From GWAS to breeding practice: genetic research on improving milk production in cattle, Animal Molecular Breeding, 14(1): 27-35 (doi: 10.5376/amb.2024.14.0004) Abstract With the increasing global demand for dairy products, improving milk production in dairy cows has become one of the major objectives of animal husbandry. In this study, the genetic basis of milk production in dairy cows was analyzed in depth by Genome-wide association study (GWAS) method. Genomic data from thousands of dairy cows were collected in this study and several genetic markers significantly associated with milk yield were identified. These findings not only reveal key genes that influence milk yield, but also provide new directions for breeding practices. How the GWAS results can be applied to practical breeding, including the use of Marker-assisted selection (MAS) and Genomic selection (GS) techniques to improve selection efficiency, is further discussed. This study also discusses how to balance the goals of genetic diversity conservation and improved milk production during breeding, and the potential of emerging biotechnologies such as CRISPR/Cas9 in dairy cattle breeding. This study emphasizes the importance of sustainable breeding strategies and the need to consider ethical and social acceptability in the breeding process. Keywords Genome-wide association studies; Cow milk production; Marker-assisted selection; Genomic selection (GS); CRISPR/Cas9 As one of the most widely consumed foodstuffs in the world, milk is not only loved for its rich nutritional value, but is also an important part of the agricultural economy in many countries. From vitamins to minerals to high-quality proteins, milk provides a range of essential nutrients for human health. Increasing milk production not only meets growing consumer demand, but also improves agricultural productivity and, in turn, economic development. The history of genetic improvement as a traditional method of increasing milk production goes back thousands of years. Early breeding practices relied heavily on selecting those cows for breeding with high milk yielding traits. As genetics developed, a more systematic understanding of the relationship between milk yield and genetic factors began to emerge, which provided scientists with new tools and methods to optimize breeding strategies. By accurately identifying and selecting cows with desirable genetic traits, breeders are able to more effectively improve milk yield and other economic traits such as milk fat percentage and protein content. In recent years, the emergence of genome-wide association study (GWAS) technology has brought revolutionary changes to the genetic research of milk production. GWAS technology can identify genetic markers associated with specific traits by analyzing millions of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across the entire genome (Dong et al., 2023). The advantage of this method is that it can not only reveal the impact of individual genes on traits, but also reveal the multi gene interactions behind complex traits. In the field of animal breeding, GWAS technology has been successfully used to identify key genetic factors that affect milk yield, milk fat content, and protein content. By integrating the research achievements of GWAS, breeding practice has entered a new era. Modern breeding strategies no longer rely solely on phenotype selection, but instead begin to use genetic markers for more precise gene selection. This method is called marker assisted selection (MAS), which allows breeders to predict the genetic potential of animals before they reach maturity. GWAS technology not only deepens the understanding of
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