Body size and carcass traits are economically significant in livestock, contributing to productivity and meat quality improvement in breeding programs. Understanding the genetic basis of these traits Show more
Body size and carcass traits are economically significant in livestock, contributing to productivity and meat quality improvement in breeding programs. Understanding the genetic basis of these traits can enhance selection strategies for livestock improvement. This research was carried out to identify genomic regions associated with body size and ultrasound carcass traits using the single-step genome-wide association study (ssGWAS) in Anatolian water buffaloes. Data consisted of wither height (WH), hip height (HH), body length (BL), chest width (CW), hip width (HW), chest circumference (CC), cannon-bone circumference (CBC), Musculus longissimus dorsi depth (MLDD), and subcutaneous fat thickness (SFT) records of 313 yearling buffaloes were used in the association analyses. Genotyping was carried out by using the 90 K Axiom Buffalo Genotyping array. Association analyses using genomic relationship matrix (GRM) were performed by WOMBAT software. Twenty SNPs were found to be genome-wide significant according to the FDR thresholds controlled at p < 0.01. Genes previously associated with body size and fat-related traits, including TRPC7, CEP290, KITLG, TMTC3, NELL2, DBX2, GLI2, BRINP1, TLR4, NYAP2, SORCS3, PIK3C3, LEP, RSPO2, and GTPBP4, were identified in this study. The identification of novel and previously associated genes could enhance genetic improvement, contributing to the understanding of the genetic basis of body morphology in buffaloes. Show less
The histone H3 lysine 79 (H3K79) methyltransferase DOT1L is a key chromatin-based barrier to somatic cell reprogramming. However, the mechanisms by which DOT1L safeguards cell identity and somatic-spe Show more
The histone H3 lysine 79 (H3K79) methyltransferase DOT1L is a key chromatin-based barrier to somatic cell reprogramming. However, the mechanisms by which DOT1L safeguards cell identity and somatic-specific transcriptional programs remain unknown. We employed a proteomic approach using proximity-based labeling to identify DOT1L-interacting proteins and investigated their effects on reprogramming. Among DOT1L interactors, suppression of AF10 (MLLT10) via RNA interference or CRISPR/Cas9, significantly increases reprogramming efficiency. In somatic cells and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) higher order H3K79 methylation is dependent on AF10 expression. In AF10 knock-out cells, re-expression wild-type AF10, but not a DOT1L binding-impaired mutant, rescues overall H3K79 methylation and reduces reprogramming efficiency. Transcriptomic analyses during reprogramming show that AF10 suppression results in downregulation of fibroblast-specific genes and accelerates the activation of pluripotency-associated genes. Our findings establish AF10 as a novel barrier to reprogramming by regulating H3K79 methylation and thereby sheds light on the mechanism by which cell identity is maintained in somatic cells. Show less