ArticleScientific reports2017
A dual targeted β-defensin and exome sequencing approach to identify, validate and functionally characterise genes associated with bull fertility.
Article in Scientific reports, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 38 citations in OpenAlex.
- Sperm dynamics in the female reproductive tract and their role in regulating fertility.The Journal of reproduction and development · 2026Review
- Impact of β-defensin 103 (DEFB103) copy number variation on bull sperm parameters and post-insemination uterine gene expression.PloS one · 2025Article
- Sperm selection by the oviduct: perspectives for male fertility and assisted reproductive technologies†.Biology of reproduction · 2023Article
- Analysis of amplification and association polymorphisms in the bovine beta-defensin 129 (BBD129) gene revealed its function in bull fertility.Scientific reports · 2022Article
- Sustainable Intensification of Beef Production in the Tropics: The Role of Genetically Improving Sexual Precocity of Heifers.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2022Review
- Recent development of machine learning-based methods for the prediction of defensin family and subfamily.EXCLI journal · 2022Review
- Buffalo sperm surface proteome profiling reveals an intricate relationship between innate immunity and reproduction.BMC genomics · 2021Article
- Marker-assisted selection vis-à-vis bull fertility: coming full circle-a review.Molecular biology reports · 2020Review
- Association of α/β-Hydrolase D16B with Bovine Conception Rate and Sperm Plasma Membrane Lipid Composition.International journal of molecular sciences · 2020Article
- Selection for bull fertility: a review.Translational animal science · 2020Review
- Unusual interplay of contrasting selective pressures on β-defensin genes implicated in male fertility of the Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis).BMC evolutionary biology · 2019Article
- iDEF-PseRAAC: Identifying the Defensin Peptide by Using Reduced Amino Acid Composition Descriptor.Evolutionary bioinformatics online · 2019Article
- Genetic dissection of bull fertility in US Jersey dairy cattle.Animal genetics · 2018Article
- Whole-genome scan reveals significant non-additive effects for sire conception rate in Holstein cattle.BMC genetics · 2018Article
- β-Defensins: Farming the Microbiome for Homeostasis and Health.Frontiers in immunology · 2018Review
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Authors and funding
12 authors at 6 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Bovine fertility remains a critical issue underpinning the sustainability of the agricultural sector. Phenotypic records collected on >7,000 bulls used in artificial insemination (AI) were used to identify 160 reliable and divergently fertile bulls for a dual strategy of targeted sequencing (TS) of fertility-related β-defensin genes and whole exome sequencing (WES). A haplotype spanning multiple β-defensin genes and containing 94 SNPs was significantly associated with fertility and functional analysis confirmed that sperm from bulls possessing the haplotype showed significantly enhanced binding to oviductal epithelium. WES of all exons in the genome in 24 bulls of high and low fertility identified 484 additional SNPs significantly associated with fertility. After validation, the most significantly associated SNP was located in the FOXJ3 gene, a transcription factor which regulates sperm function in mice. This study represents the first comprehensive characterisation of genetic variation in bovine β-defensin genes and functional analysis supports a role for β-defensins in regulating bull sperm function. This first application of WES in AI bulls with divergent fertility phenotypes has identified a novel role for the transcription factor FOXJ3 in the regulation of bull fertility. Validated genetic variants associated with bull fertility could prove useful for improving reproductive outcomes in cattle.
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