Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
(N/A)
Animal Health Component
50%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
50%
Applied
50%
Developmental
0%
Goals / Objectives
To develop systems biology resources to better understand how mutations in the SLICK locus affect gene and protein expression downstream of the mutant Prolactin Receptor to confer adaptation to thermal stress.
Project Methods
The University of Florida has developed a herd of thermo-tolerant Holsteins, which express a slick coat phenotype. This phenotype confers a tolerance to heat stress, and seems to be an important adaptive trait for maintaining production. Although the mutation was identified by USDA, ARS, AGIL, the effects of a mutant Prolactin Receptor on downstream expression in skin, hair, sweat glands, mammary gland, liver, hypothalamus, and other biologically relevant tissues are unknown. The objective of this collaboration is to harvest tissues from these tissues, and determine RNAseq and protein expression profiles for normal and slick-coated animals under normal and heat stress conditions. These results will be used to better understand how the SLICK genotype adapts the animal to its short hair coat and heat resilient phenotype, and also possibly reveal information as to how the slick animals maintain production in tropical conditions.