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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #399994
Research Project: Accelerating Genetic Improvement of Ruminants Through Enhanced Genome Assembly, Annotation, and Selection

Location: Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory

Title: Harnessing male germline epigenomics for the genetic improvement in cattle

Author
item WANG, XIAO - China Agricultural University
item LI, WENLONG - China Agricultural University
item FENG, XIA - China Agricultural University
item LI, JIANBING - Shandong Academy Of Agricultural Sciences
item Liu, Ge - George
item FANG, LINGZHAO - Aarhus University
item YU, YING - China Agricultural University

Submitted to: Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/6/2023
Publication Date: 6/6/2023
Citation: Wang, X., Li, W., Feng, X., Li, J., Liu, G., Fang, L., Yu, Y. 2023. Harnessing male germline epigenomics for the genetic improvement in cattle. Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology. 14:76. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40104-023-00874-9.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40104-023-00874-9

Interpretive Summary: Comprehensive analyses of epigenomes will benefit the selection of superior bulls. We have reviewed the studies of bovine sperm epigenome in terms of both resources and biological discovery to use their information for genetic improvement in cattle. Farmers, scientist, and policy planners who need improve animal health and production based on genome-enabled animal selection will benefit from this study.

Technical Abstract: Sperm is essential for successful artificial insemination (AI) in dairy cattle, and its quality can be influenced by both epigenetic modification and epigenetic inheritance. The bovine germline differentiation is influenced by epigenetic reprogramming, while intergenerational and transgenerational epigenetic inheritance can influence the offspring’s development through the transmission of epigenetic features to the offspring via the germline. Therefore, the selection of bulls with superior sperm quality for the production and fertility traits requires a better understanding of the epigenome mechanism and more accurate identifications of epigenetic biomarkers. We have comprehensively reviewed the current progress in the studies of bovine sperm epigenome in terms of both resources and biological discovery in order to provide perspectives on how to harness this valuable information for genetic improvement in the cattle breeding industry.