Hitchhiking mapping in cattle

Livestock species have gone through extensive selection, aiming to improve traits of economic interest. Almost all of these traits are complex, affected by an unknown number of genes and by environmental factors. The current approaches to identify the genetic basis of these QTL rely on linkage analysis, which is limited to large breeds. Here, we propose an alternative approach, hitchhiking mapping. This evolutionary method uses the signature of selection on the polymorphism in cattle breeds to identify recently selected chromosomal regions. We will use high-density SNP arrays (Affymetrix) to measure variability. The association of identified candidate regions with production traits will be tested using phenotypically characterized individuals. Finally, we will give particular emphasis on exploring the genetic variability and potential potential of Austrian rare breeds to carry new QTL or new QTL alleles that could be of economic interest.