Single-Step Genomic Reaction Norm and ssGWAS Reveal Heat-Load-Dependent Genetic Architecture of Age at Puberty in Yorkshire Gilts.
- 1State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China.
- 2Guangxi State Farms Yongxin Animal Husbandry Group Co., Ltd., Nanning 530022, China.
- 3Guangdong Guangken Animal Husbandry Group Co., Ltd., Guangzhou 510612, China.
Abstract
Heat stress adversely affects porcine reproduction, but genetic variation in the response of age at puberty (AP) to heat exposure remains poorly characterized in gilts. We analyzed 4438 AP records from Yorkshire gilts using adjusted meteorological data and compared three heat-exposure gradients across five prepubertal windows. Pedigree- and single-step genomic reaction-norm models were fitted, followed by single-step genome-wide association analyses of the intercept and slope. Among the 15 exposure scenarios, the best-fitting model used the proportion of sustained heat-stress days in the 14-day window before first observed estrus; a one-standard-deviation increase in this measure was associated with a 7.64-day increase in AP. Both reaction-norm models detected significant genetic variance for environmental sensitivity (p < 0.001). The genomic intercept-slope genetic correlation was -0.524, and genetic variances and correlations varied across the exposure gradient. GEBVs rankings at the 10th and 90th percentiles of the exposure gradient were negatively correlated (Spearman's ρ = -0.742), and the most favorable 10% of gilts did not overlap between these two exposure levels. Intercept and slope window contributions were strongly correlated (Spearman's ρ = 0.822), although component-specific regions were also detected. Functional annotation highlighted candidate genes and biological processes related to neuroendocrine regulation, ovarian development, mitochondrial and redox homeostasis, and cellular stress responses. These findings reveal genetically heterogeneous heat sensitivity in AP, supporting environment-specific genomic evaluation for reproductive robustness in gilts.
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BibTeX
@article{zhang2026singlestep,
title = {{Single-Step Genomic Reaction Norm and ssGWAS Reveal Heat-Load-Dependent Genetic Architecture of Age at Puberty in Yorkshire Gilts.}},
author = {Chong Zhang and Jinglei Si and Xiaoxiao Song and Youen Xiao and Wenzhou Wang and Borong Liang and Shaoyun Li and Peiqing Cong and Yaosheng Chen and Xiaohong Liu},
journal = {Animals : an open access journal from MDPI},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.3390/ani16193085},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42883054},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Single-Step Genomic Reaction Norm and ssGWAS Reveal Heat-Load-Dependent Genetic Architecture of Age at Puberty in Yorkshire Gilts.
AU - Chong Zhang
AU - Jinglei Si
AU - Xiaoxiao Song
AU - Youen Xiao
AU - Wenzhou Wang
AU - Borong Liang
AU - Shaoyun Li
AU - Peiqing Cong
AU - Yaosheng Chen
AU - Xiaohong Liu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/30
JO - Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
DO - 10.3390/ani16193085
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42883054
AB - Heat stress adversely affects porcine reproduction, but genetic variation in the response of age at puberty (AP) to heat exposure remains poorly characterized in gilts. We analyzed 4438 AP records from Yorkshire gilts using adjusted meteorological data and compared three heat-exposure gradients across five prepubertal windows. Pedigree- and single-step genomic reaction-norm models were fitted, followed by single-step genome-wide association analyses of the intercept and slope. Among the 15 exposure scenarios, the best-fitting model used the proportion of sustained heat-stress days in the 14-day window before first observed estrus; a one-standard-deviation increase in this measure was associated with a 7.64-day increase in AP. Both reaction-norm models detected significant genetic variance for environmental sensitivity (p < 0.001). The genomic intercept-slope genetic correlation was -0.524, and genetic variances and correlations varied across the exposure gradient. GEBVs rankings at the 10th and 90th percentiles of the exposure gradient were negatively correlated (Spearman's ρ = -0.742), and the most favorable 10% of gilts did not overlap between these two exposure levels. Intercept and slope window contributions were strongly correlated (Spearman's ρ = 0.822), although component-specific regions were also detected. Functional annotation highlighted candidate genes and biological processes related to neuroendocrine regulation, ovarian development, mitochondrial and redox homeostasis, and cellular stress responses. These findings reveal genetically heterogeneous heat sensitivity in AP, supporting environment-specific genomic evaluation for reproductive robustness in gilts.
SN - 2076-2615
ER -