Cost-Effectively Dissecting the Genetic Architecture of Complex Wool Traits in Rabbits by Low-Coverage Sequencing

This study used low-coverage whole genome sequencing (LCS) and genotype imputation to investigate the genetic architecture of wool traits in Angora rabbits. By comparing different imputation strategies and sequencing coverages, the researchers found that the Base Var + STITCH pipeline achieved high genotyping accuracy (>0.97) at a depth of 1.0X with a sample size of over 300. They identified six quantitative trait loci (QTLs) contributing to phenotypic variation (0.42%-7.50%) and implicated the FGF10 gene in fiber growth and diameter. The findings suggest that LCS is a cost-effective method for assessing genetic variants and can effectively identify genes associated with complex traits, aiding genomic breeding in wool rabbits.