Studying the processes of mutation and recombination in the bovine germline

We are interested in the procsses of de novo mutation and recombination in the germline.  To that end, we have established the Damona pedigree, a population of 740 Holstein-Friesian cattle that assemble in more than 100 3- and 4-generation pedigrees that are ideally suited to study these fundamental biological phenomena.  All animals of the Damona pedigree have had their whole genome sequenced.  We are studying recombination, as well as the de novo generation of point mutations, structural variants and the mobilization of transposable elements.

Key publications

A bovine GWAS reveals determinants of mobilization rate and dynamics of endogenous retroviruses. Tang L, Swedlund B, Dupont S, Harland C, Georges M, Charlier C. In preparation.

The rate of de novo structural variation is increased in in vitro produced offspring and preferentially affects the paternal genome. Y-L Lee, AC Bouwman, C Harland, M Bosse, GC Monteiro Moreira, RF Veerkamp, E Mullaart, N Cambisano, MAM Groenen, L Karim, W Coppieters, M Georges, C Charlier. Submitted.

Frequency of mosaicism points towards mutation-prone early cleavage cell divisions in cattle. Harland C, Charlier C, Karim L, Cambisano N, Deckers M, Mni M, Mullaart E, Coppieters W, Georges M.  BioRXiv  https://doi.org/10.1101/079863 (2017).

Coding and noncoding variants in HFM1, MLH3, MSH4, MSH5, RNF212, and RNF212B affect recombination rate in cattle. Kadri NK, Harland C, Faux P, Cambisano N, Karim L, Coppieters W, Fritz S, Mullaart E, Baurain D, Boichard D, Spelman R, Charlier C, Georges M, Druet T. Genome Res 26: 1323-1332 (2016).

Genetic variants in REC8, RNF212, and PRDM9 influence male recombination in cattle. Sandor C, Li W, Coppieters W, Druet T, Charlier C, Georges M. PLoS Genet 8:e1002854 (2012).