PRLR and PCCA Variants Associated with Hair Length in Brangus Heifers
TLDR Certain genetic variants in PRLR and PCCA genes may lead to shorter hair in cattle, which could help with heat tolerance.
In a study aimed at identifying genetic variants associated with hair length in cattle, which is an important factor for thermoregulation and can impact beef production due to thermal stress, researchers collected hair samples from 2,161 Brangus heifers over three years (2016-2018). They measured the hair length using ImageJ software and performed genetic analyses using the Bovine GGP F250 array. After quality control, 132,225 SNPs were examined, and the study found that four SNPs in the PRLR gene were significantly associated with the length of the topcoat, with one missense mutation explaining 4% of the variation. Additionally, seven SNPs in the PCCA gene were significantly associated with the length of the undercoat. These findings suggest that the identified genetic variants in the PRLR and PCCA genes may contribute to shorter hair coats and increased thermotolerance in cattle.
