Genome‐Wide Association Study (GWAS) for Linear Body Measurements of Sussex Cattle ( Bos taurus ) at Weaning and Yearling Age in South Africa

The objective of this research was to conduct a genome‐wide association study to identify candidate genes associated with linear body measurements in South African Sussex cattle at weaning and yearling age. Overall, 96 South African Sussex animals (45 females and 51 males) were used for a GWAS with the Bovine 50K SNP BeadChip (Illumina, USA). The results indicated that three candidate genes, RAB31 , BIRC5 and TEX22 were discovered as the prospective genetic markers for linear body measurements of the SA Sussex cattle at weaning age. Two candidate genes ( CFAP100 and LOC617705 ) were discovered as prospective genetic markers for linear body measurements of the SA Sussex cattle at yearling age. The two candidate genes discovered for yearling age were positioned in the following areas: CFAP100 (3′UTR) and LOC617705 (exon 4), respectively. A noteworthy association ( p < 0.05) was observed between RAB31 , BIRC5 , TEX22 , CFAP100 and LOC617705 genes for linear body measurements of the SA Sussex cattle. However, three SNPs identified at weaning age: BovineHD1100019614, BovineHD1900015483 and ARS‐BFGL‐NGS‐4967 were not located in any gene region. The findings of the current study might be used by cattle farmers to improve the linear body measurement traits of SA Sussex cattle.