{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,18]],"date-time":"2026-05-18T21:22:26Z","timestamp":1779139346239,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":38,"publisher":"Springer Science and Business Media LLC","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,4]],"date-time":"2025-07-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1751587200000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,4]],"date-time":"2025-07-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1751587200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100004503","name":"Benha University","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100004503","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["link.springer.com"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["BMC Vet Res"],"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n          <jats:sec>\n            <jats:title>Background &amp; objectives<\/jats:title>\n            <jats:p>The reproductive efficiency of buffalo bulls is crucial for genetic improvement, herd fertility, and overall productivity. Identifying genetic markers linked to semen traits can thus enhance breeding programs and optimize artificial insemination strategies. The objectives of this study were to estimate variance components and heritability. estimating the breeding values (EBVs), plotting the genetic and phenotypic trends and detection of the molecular genetic associations of <jats:italic>FSHR<\/jats:italic> and <jats:italic>GH<\/jats:italic> genes using PCR\u2013RFLP with semen traits comprising ejaculate volume (EV), sperms motility (SM), live sperms (LS), abnormal sperms (AS) and sperms concentration (SC) in Egyptian buffalo.<\/jats:p>\n          <\/jats:sec>\n          <jats:sec>\n            <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n            <jats:p>Data of 5178 semen ejaculates were collected from 2013 to 2022 from 111 bulls, progeny of 34 sires and 92 dams in two experimental herds. For molecular genetic analysis, a total of 86 buffalo bulls were used to characterize <jats:italic>FSHR<\/jats:italic> and <jats:italic>GH<\/jats:italic> genes.<\/jats:p>\n          <\/jats:sec>\n          <jats:sec>\n            <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n            <jats:p>The heritabilities estimates for semen traits were low and moderate, being 0.17, 0.28, 0.27, 0.27 and 0.23 for EV, SM, LS, AS and SC, respectively. Wide ranges of the EBVs were observed, being -0.69 to 1.27\u00a0ml for EV, -18.19 to 11.59% for SM, -19.31 to 9.15% for LS, -2.05 to 6.41% for AS and -0.39 to 0.54\u2009\u00d7\u200910<jats:sup>9<\/jats:sup> sperms\/<jats:italic>ml<\/jats:italic> for SC. The averages of EBV throughout different years of semen collection were ranged from -0.26 to 0.43\u00a0ml for EV, -9.73 and 3.32% for SM, -9.99 and 3.45% for LS, -0.65 to 0.53% for AS and -0.19 to 0.13\u2009\u00d7\u200910<jats:sup>9<\/jats:sup> sperms per ml for SC. The phenotypic trends plotted throughout the experimental period increased for all semen traits except for EV. The GLSM of the semen phenotypic values were ranged from 3.09 to 3.86\u00a0ml for EV, 61.55 and 66.53% for SM, 60.91 and 65.12% for LS, 4.34 to 9.28% for AS and 0.73 to 1.33\u2009\u00d7\u200910<jats:sup>9<\/jats:sup> sperms per ml for SC.The differences in generalized least square means among GG, GC and CC genotypes of <jats:italic>FSHR<\/jats:italic> gene for semen traits were significantly in favor of GG genotype relative to GC and CC genotypes (P\u2009&lt;\u20090.01). Two genotypes of TC and CC were detected for <jats:italic>GH<\/jats:italic> gene and the molecular genetic associations were significantly in favor of CC genotype relative to TC genotype (P\u2009&lt;\u20090.01).<\/jats:p>\n          <\/jats:sec>\n          <jats:sec>\n            <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n            <jats:p>Enhancing management and feeding practices, the implementation and widespread use of artificial insemination as well as employing precise estimations of predicted breeding values in genetic improvement programs, should effectively enhance the semen traits of Egyptian buffalo bulls. <jats:italic>FSHR<\/jats:italic> and <jats:italic>GH<\/jats:italic> genes could be used as potential candidate genes for marker-assisted selection to improve semen traits in buffalo bulls.<\/jats:p>\n          <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1186\/s12917-025-04866-x","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,4]],"date-time":"2025-07-04T07:18:39Z","timestamp":1751613519000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Genetic analyses and molecular associations of FSHR and GH genes for semen traits in Egyptian buffalo"],"prefix":"10.1186","volume":"21","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0960-6178","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Abdelfatah R.","family":"Zaghloul","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6929-3011","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maher H.","family":"Khalil","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5633-9191","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mahmoud M.","family":"Iraqi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4491-9284","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Amin M. 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The study is reported in accordance with ARRIVE guidelines. This work was supported by the project No. 33531, entitled \u201cA genomic Approach to Improve Production and Reproduction Traits in Egyptian Buffalo\u201d funded by the Science, Technology & Innovation Funding Authority (STDF), Ministry of Scientific Research, Egypt. The animals owned by the Animal Production Research Institute (APRI), Agricultural Research Center, Ministry of Agriculture, Egypt. The APRI reviewed and approved the project\u2019s protocols, and the animals use through an approval number ARC-APRI-50\u201323 issued the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of the Agricultural Research Center (ARC-IACUC).","order":2,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Ethical approval and consent to participate"}},{"value":"Not applicable.","order":3,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Consent to publication"}},{"value":"The authors declare no competing interests.","order":4,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Competing interests"}}],"article-number":"437"}}