Nowadays, horns are generally considered an undesirable trait by cattle farmers and are selected against in several breeds. Absence of horns is controlled by a single dominant inherited mutation (polled), which has already been mapped in the bovine genome. The location of an interacting second mutation responsible for the sex-influenced expression of scurs is still unclear. We aim at the identification of the causative mutations for these inherited horn phenotypes to explore the genetics of horn growth in cattle.

Contact: Cord Drögemüller

Scientific publications