Looking Ahead: Applying new Genomic Technologies to Accelerate Genetic Improvement in Beef Cattle

Abstract

In recent years, producers have combined the use of phenotypic appraisal and the estimation of breeding values (PTA or EPD) to make genetic selection decisions in beef and dairy cattle that have resulted in a steady genetic gain of 2% per year. However, the most extensive application of genomics has occurred in dairy with the estimation of molecular breeding values that has increased selection efficiency to a much higher order of magnitude. Despite a growing molecular and physiological understanding of complex traits, little is known about the genes determining the traits and their precise function, and a significant unexplained source of variation of phenotypes remains in livestock. Within this context, a more complete understanding of the genes and regulatory pathways and networks involved in economically important traits (i.e. feed efficiency and methane emissions, meat quality and carcass traits) in beef cattle will provide knowledge to help improve genetic selection and reproductive management. Therefore, high throughput -OMICS technology (i.e., transcriptomics, metagenomics, metabolomics, as well as epigenetics and gene networks amongst several others), will complement these tools and further advance identification of functional genes within a systems biology approach.