Genetics and Genomics

Study of the structure and genetic diversity of populations through morphological characters and molecular markers to establish conservation programs. Implementation of improvement programs: management of information and evaluation of players to define optimal selection strategies.

Researchers 

Joaquim Casellas Vidal 

Jordi Jordana Vidal 

Jesús Piedrafita Arilla

Marcel Amills Eras 

Armand Sánchez Bonastre

Josep Maria Folch Albareda 

Development of markers and identification of genes with effects on animal production and pathology. Structural and functional genomics in domestic species. Gene expression analysis.

Researchers 

Marcel Amills Eras 
Josep Maria Folch Albareda 
Armand Sánchez Bonastre

Projects

Genomic analysis of the genetic determination of milk yield, composition and body condition and viability in Murciano-Granadina goats (CAPRAMUR)
The main objective of this project is to investigate the genomic architecture of milk production and conformation of Murciano-Granadine goats by performing a genomic association analysis based on 50K genotypes and phenotypic records of 1,200 individuals. The genomic distribution of inbreeding depression and the distortion of allelic transmission will also be analyzed, two parameters that have important effects on the biological effectiveness of goats.
Contact person:  Marcel Amills (Marcel.Amills@uab.cat)
 
Genomic tools to assess reproductive capacity in the boar (GenBoRe)
The main objective of the GenBoRe project is to map the genetic basis, the transcriptomic differences in sperm and the particularities of the sperm microbiome associated with reproductive traits in boars (seminal quality and fertility). The final objective is the identification of DNA polymorphisms and the development of a panel of genetic markers for the early selection of piglets with good reproductive capabilities. To achieve this goal, approaches based on high-density genotyping and massive sequencing will be used.
Contact person:  Armand Sanchez (Armand.Sanchez@uab.cat)
 
Omic analysis of reproductive characters in a diallelic cross between three Iberian pig lineages (IBERomics)
This project focuses on the analyzes of the reproductive efficiency of Iberian sows, taking as a starting point an experimental design involving three different Iberian lineages, as well as their F1 crosses. Massive genomic, metabolomic and microbiomic data are merged to build biological networks where the different layers of information allow a more complete and realistic characterization of the biological mechanisms involved in the regulation and efficiency of the Iberian sow's reproduction.
Contact person:  Joaquim Casellas (Joaquim.Casellas@uab.cat)

Functional genomics, systems biology and microbiomics applied to the identification of genetic regulators of growth, fattening and meat quality characters in pigs (IbeReg)
The main objective of the project is the identification and validation of QTLs, candidate genes and genetic polymorphisms for growth traits, fatty acid composition and meat quality in pigs. Different sources of information will be integrated, including muscle, liver and adipose tissue transcriptome data, genome-wide SNP chip genotypes and phenotypic records. Additionally, the contribution of the composition of the porcine intestinal microbiome on the determination of these characters will be studied.
Contact persons: Josep M. Folch (JosepMaria.Folch@uab.cat) i Armand Sanchez (Armand.Sanchez@uab.cat)