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The aim of this work was to identify functional variants potentially associated to complex phenotypes, to improve genomic selection. In this study, we combined genomics, transcriptomics and epigenomics data. First, we genotyped 100 pigs with the high-density genotyping array (with 660K markers). Then, we generated RNA-seq data on these animals in 4 biologically divergent tissues: liver, spleen, lung and muscle. We performed an expression GWAS (eGWAS) resulting in the identification of over 150,000 significant associations in each of the tissues. We were able to detect over 1,300 genes that showed a significant eGWAS associations. We also found an enrichment of eGWAS hits within regulatory elements such as enhancers and promoters, which indicates their pivotal role as drivers of phenotypic variation and thus are of highly relevance towards understanding the genetics of complex traits.

Attracting, supporting, and retaining the next generation of young scientists into the field of animal breeding and genetics is important for the future of global livestock systems. The introduction of a Young Scientist Career Development session at the 12th WCGALP provides an invaluable platform to discuss the challenges, but more importantly, opportunities and solutions to foster the development of our next generation of animal breeders. A highlight of this session will be a facilitated panel discussion with Assoc. Prof. Daniela Lourenco (University of Georgia), Prof. Jennie Pryce (Agriculture Victoria Research and LaTrobe University), Prof. John Hickey (Bayer Crop Science) and Prof. Johan van Arendonk (Hendrix Genetics). These challenges will not be solved through a single panel discussion, or conference session. However, providing a platform for the WCGALP community to come together and work collaboratively on solutions to support young scientist career development is an important first step.