In this study, we first studied the expression of ZNF33B in bovine ovaries and early embryos, and we determined the expression position and quantity of ZNF33B in ovaries and the temporal and spatial specificity of ZNF33B expression in early embryos. Secondly, the G-61G>T mutation of 5' UTR in ZNF33B gene was studied. The frequency of the G genotype was 0.3489 and that of the T genotype was 0.6511. This mutation was significantly correlated with the superovulation traits in cattle.

The relationship between HSPB1 expression and muscle growth in beef cattle has previously been reported, but there have been no reports of DNA markers related to meat quantity in Korean native steers. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship of SNPs within HSPB1 in terms of the carcass traits related to muscle growth in Korean native steers.

To speed up the progress of marker-assisted selection (MAS) in cattle breeding, kinesin family member 1A (KIF1A) genes were chosen based on our previous genome-wide association study (GWAS) analysis results. We detected insertion/deletion (InDel) variation in these three candidate genes in 438 individual cattle (Xinjiang Brown cattle and Wagyu × Luxi crossbreed cattle). These findings may aid future analyses of InDel genotypes in cattle breeds and speed up the progress of MAS in cattle breeding.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of body weight on the efficiency of dairy cows. Data were derived from 161 commercial Austrian dairy farms. An optimum body weight range for efficiency does exist as the relationship of milk yield and body weight is nonlinear. Specialized dairy breeds seem to respond more intensively to body weight range than dual-purpose breeds. Cows with medium weights are the most efficient. A further increase in dairy cows’ body weights should be avoided.