155 Whole genome association analysis suggests an influence of inbreeding on bull sperm morphometry

Abstract

Inbreeding depression, the genetic condition caused by mating related individuals, is particularly important in several cattle breeds with limited effective populations. This condition is often associated with decreases in performance, including fertility. Furthermore, sperm head morphometry was associated with fertility in several species. To our knowledge, the influence of inbreeding on sperm morphometry has not been widely reported in cattle. In this study, a Sperm Class Analyzer (SCA™, Microptic S.L., Barcelona, Spain) was used to characterise 7 sperm morphometry parameters in 59 Retinta bulls, including sperm head length, width, perimeter, ellipticity, elongation, regularity and rugosity. Two replicates of at least 100 sperm heads, from 2 frozen semen samples, were assessed per individual (n = 200 sperm per bull). Additionally, all individuals were genotyped with the Axiom Bos1 high density SNP Array (Affymetrix, Santa Clara, CA, USA). The molecular-based inbreeding factor (FROH; mean 12.5%, range 1.75 to 33.0) had very low correlations with all sperm morphometry parameters. On average, sperm heads from bulls with higher FROH had a smaller area, but variability was high. Correlations between inbreeding and sperm shape were low and negative, length (r = −0.1449; P < 0.01), width (r = −0.2494; P < 0.01), and rugosity (r = −0.1086; P > 0.01) being the most informative. Whole-genome association study (GWAS) analysis, performed using molecular inbreeding as co-factor, revealed 8 SNP, located on chromosomes BTA2, BTA5, BTA7, and BTA11, significantly associated with sperm head regularity and rugosity. Genomic analysis revealed that genes SLF1 and TMEFF2 are located close to enriched SNP. Gene SLF1 (SMC5-SMC6 complex localization factor 1) is associated with the regulation of protein complex and cytoskeleton assembly, whereas TMEFF2 (transmembrane protein with EGF like and 2 follistatin like domains 2) is associated with integral components of cell membrane and cell spreading and development. Therefore, we inferred that SLF1 and TMEFF2 may be involved in variations of sperm head shape. In this preliminary study, there was evidence of a potential influence of inbreeding on sperm morphometry in a beef cattle breed. However, additional studies, ideally including more individuals and additional breeds, are necessary to determine the validity of this potential association.