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Exploring the genetics of trotting racing ability in horses using a unique Nordic horse model.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Horses have been strongly selected for speed, strength, and endurance-exercise traits since the onset of domestication. As a result, highly specialized horse breeds have developed with many modern horse breeds often representing closed populations with high phenotypic and genetic uniformity. However, a great deal of variation still exists between breeds, making the horse particularly well suited for genetic studies of athleticism. To identify genomic regions associated with athleticism as it pertains to trotting racing ability in the horse, the current study applies a pooled sequence analysis approach using a unique Nordic horse model. RESULTS:Pooled sequence data from three Nordic horse populations were used for FST analysis. After strict filtering, FST analysis yielded 580 differentiated regions for trotting racing ability. Candidate regions on equine chromosomes 7 and 11 contained the largest number of SNPs (n?=?214 and 147, respectively). GO analyses identified multiple genes related to intelligence, energy metabolism, and skeletal development as potential candidate genes. However, only one candidate region for trotting racing ability overlapped a known racing ability QTL. CONCLUSIONS:Not unexpected for genomic investigations of complex traits, the current study identified hundreds of candidate regions contributing to trotting racing ability in the horse. Likely resulting from the cumulative effects of many variants across the genome, racing ability continues to demonstrate its polygenic nature with candidate regions implicating genes influencing both musculature and neurological development.

SUBMITTER: Velie BD

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6360714 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Exploring the genetics of trotting racing ability in horses using a unique Nordic horse model.

Velie Brandon D BD Lillie Mette M Fegraeus Kim Jäderkvist KJ Rosengren Maria K MK Solé Marina M Wiklund Maja M Ihler Carl-Fredrik CF Strand Eric E Lindgren Gabriella G

BMC genomics 20190204 1

<h4>Background</h4>Horses have been strongly selected for speed, strength, and endurance-exercise traits since the onset of domestication. As a result, highly specialized horse breeds have developed with many modern horse breeds often representing closed populations with high phenotypic and genetic uniformity. However, a great deal of variation still exists between breeds, making the horse particularly well suited for genetic studies of athleticism. To identify genomic regions associated with at ...[more]

PMID: 30717660

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Project description:Simple Summary Ambient air contains a mixture of pollutants, the effects of which on animal and human health have been widely described. In contrast, the effects on physical performance are poorly understood, largely due to the difficulty of implementing an experimental model to study this problem. Thoroughbred horse racing involves many animal athletes, of similar genetics, environmental exposure, training, and diet, who participate by breathing varying mixtures of ambient air. This paper presents an analysis strategy based on the homogeneity of the races, the distance, and the design of the track. This paper presents a preliminary analysis in which we observe that the level of performance is decreased by concentrations of PM10, PM2.5, NO2, NO, and CO in the air. Thus, we note that this natural experiment may constitute a model of interest to advance the understanding of the problem. Abstract This study proposes the theoretical principles for the selection of a sample of horse races to study the relationship between air pollutants and performance. These criteria were then applied to an original dataset comparing the correlations between these variables obtained in “Handicap” versus “Conditional” type races. Methods: The mean concentration of pollutants during the six hours prior to the race and the speed of the test were determined in 441 official races at a racecourse in Santiago, Chile, during the summer and winter months of 2012. Using layout, track condition and distance (1000, 1100 and 1200 m) as criteria, a homogeneous group of races (“Handicap”; n = 214) versus a heterogeneous group (“Conditional”; n = 95) were compared using simple correlations (Spearman’s test). Results: Race speed was related to greater levels of PM10, PM2.5, NO2, NO and SO2 and it was positively related to O3, a trend that was observed in the 1000, 1100 m races and in the total “Handicap” group. Similar results were observed only in 1000 m for the “Conditional” group with lower Rho, except for PM10 and PM2.5. The total races of the conditional group showed lower Rho values and significant associations of the same trend for CO, NO2, NO and SO2. Conclusions: Horse races between 1000 and 1200 m of the “Handicap” type appear to be an interesting group to study the relationship between air pollutants and the performance of racehorses. In the future, our observations should be expanded to other distances and other types of races.

Dataset Information

Exploring the genetics of trotting racing ability in horses using a unique Nordic horse model.

Publications

Exploring the genetics of trotting racing ability in horses using a unique Nordic horse model.

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