Population genomics reveals that natural variation in PRDM16 contributes to cold tolerance in domestic cattle

• Published in: Dōngwùxué yánjiū Vol. 43; no. 2; pp. 275 - 284
• Main Authors: Yan, Chun-Long, Lin, Jun, Huang, Yuan-Yuan, Gao, Qing-Shan, Piao, Zheng-Yu, Yuan, Shou-Li, Chen, Li, Ren, Xue, Ye, Rong-Cai, Dong, Meng, Zhang, Han-Lin, Zhou, Hui-Qiao, Jiang, Xiao-Xiao, Jin, Wan-Zhu, Zhou, Xu-Ming, Yan, Chang-Guo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: China Kunming Institute of Zoology, The Chinese Academy of Sciences 18.03.2022
• Subjects: Adipocytes; Animals; Body fat; Body temperature; Cattle; Cattle - genetics; China; Cold; Cold Temperature; Cold tolerance; Domestic animals; Functional analysis; Gene expression; Genetic diversity; Genetic variation; Genome; Genomes; Genomics; Heat; Identification; Insulin; Livestock; Metagenomics; Mutation; Phylogenetics; Plasmids; Population; Population structure; Proteins; Temperature; Temperature tolerance; Thermogenesis; Thermogenesis - genetics; China; United States > US; Brown adipose tissue; Cattle; Cold tolerance; PRDM16; Population genomics
• ISSN: 2095-8137; 0254-5853
• DOI: 10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2021.360

Environmental temperature serves as a major driver of adaptive changes in wild organisms. To discover the mechanisms underpinning cold tolerance in domestic animals, we sequenced the genomes of 28 cattle from warm and cold areas across China. By characterizing the population structure and demographic history, we identified two genetic clusters, i.e., northern and southern groups, as well as a common historic population peak at 30 kilo years ago. Genomic scan of cold-tolerant breeds determined potential candidate genes in the thermogenesis-related pathways that were under selection. Specifically, functional analysis identified a substitution of (p.P779L) in northern cattle, which maintains brown adipocyte formation by boosting thermogenesis-related gene expression, indicating a vital role of this gene in cold tolerance. These findings provide a basis for genetic variation in domestic cattle shaped by environmental temperature and highlight the role of reverse mutation in livestock species.