Genome-Wide Association Study Identifies Variants Associated With Hair Length In Brangus Cattle

Thermal stress limits beef cattle production and a shorter hair coat is a key thermoregulative adaptation that allows cattle to lose heat more efficiently. The objective of this study was to identify genetic variants associated with the length of the undercoat and topcoat of cattle utilizing 1456 Brangus heifers genotyped with the Bovine GGP F250 array. Seven SNPs in thePCCAgene were significantly associated with undercoat length.PCCAbelongs to the biotin transport and metabolism pathway. Biotin deficiency has been reported to cause hair loss. Four SNPs in an 110 kb including a missense mutation in thePRLRgene were significantly associated with topcoat length. Whereas the association of this polymorphism with hair length is novel, theSLICKmutation inPRLRhas previously been demonstrated to significantly impact hair length in cattle. These newly detected genetic variants may contribute to a shorter hair coat and more thermotolerant animals.