Cattle Genome Sequencing in Korea

Cattle are closely connected to human life and have substantial value in science, industry and agriculture. As the most common large domesticated animal, cattle are raised as livestock for meat, milk and draft tools around the world. In order to better understand the genetic features of cattle breeds we studied various aspects of the cattle genome. Four different studies on Holstein, a dairy cattle, and Hanwoo, a Korean native meat cattle, were conducted. Whole genome re-sequencing analysis of 10 Holstein and 11 Hanwoo cattle revealed a total of 396 Holstein-accelerated genes while a study on 12 Hanwoo identified selective signatures in the genome. By examining the overlap between CNV deletion regions and genes of 10 Holsteins and 22 Hanwoo, we identified 30 genes with the highest deletion scores which are related to the nervous system and regarded as results of the domestication process. A comparative transcriptome analysis of three adipose tissues of nine Hanwoo showed that interactions between extracellular matrix components (ECM) and transmembrane receptors of fat cells depend on the tissue-specific adipogenesis. Finally, a Hanwoo genetic variants database was constructed to make information on the genetics variants of 23 Hanwoo genomes available to the public. Taken together, the results provide key insights into the domestication process of cattle, and genetic features that underlie the economically important traits in cattle.