Data from: Variation in follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) expression is associated with the twinning rate QTL located on bovine chromosome 11 in Holstein cattle

Twin births in dairy cattle present challenges for producers, resulting in
increased prevalence of health issues for both cows and calves, thereby
impacting profitability. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) analyses of
twinning rate in Holstein cattle have reported the most significant
genomic association with twinning rate in a region containing two strong
candidate genes, follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) and
luteinizing hormone chorionic gonadotropin receptor (LHCGR).
Coding-sequence variants of these genes were not associated with twinning
rate, suggesting that one of the two genes is differentially expressed in
association with twinning rate. Granulosa cells were collected from 41
Holstein cows selected to provide similar representation of genotypes for
the twinning rate quantitative trait locus (QTL). RNA was extracted from
granulosa cells and gene expression was assessed by quantitative PCR with
data analyzed by the ΔΔCT method. QTL genotype was significantly
associated with expression of FSHR but was not associated with LHCGR
expression. Increased FSHR expression was associated with increasing copy
number of the G allele and thus increased twinning rate. Data are provided
as a spreadsheet including quantitative PCR cycle threshold (Ct) values
for target genes, FSHR and LHCGR, and reference gene, SF3A1. Imputed SNP
genotypes ("CC", "CG" or "GG") for the
chromosome 11 twinning rate QTL are provided for each sample.