Lumen Winter 2013 - Flipbook - Page 7
story by Robyn Mills
The legacy of JS Davies is already being seen in the work
of Roseworthy campus’ Professor Stefan Hiendleder with
great potential bene昀椀ts for animal production and quality.
P
rofessor Hiendleder came to the
University of Adelaide in 2005 as the
JS Davies Professorial Fellow.
His work in the field of epigenetics and
genetics promises tremendous advances
in animal breeding.
Epigenetics, Professor Hiendleder
explains, is the science “on top of
genetics”, referring to heritable changes in
the ways our genes are expressed. These
modified genomes follow different patterns
of inheritance than the classic mendelian
genetics we all learn about in school.
“My group is interested in determining
which traits are affected by these nonclassical genetics,” says Professor
Hiendleder. The research group is
identifying genetic markers for specific
genes under epigenetic control. To date,
there are virtually no data on this in
farm animals.
“We are using bovine models to
generate outcomes in epigenetics that
will be of great benefit to the beef industry
and beyond, including human medicine,”
he says.
Current breeding programs in animals
do not take these epigenetic effects into
account. For example, models used
today suggest that fertility has a very
low degree of heritability. But there is
increasing evidence that when individual
components are investigated, for example
ovulation rate in cattle, epigenetic effects
are playing a much larger role than
previously thought.
“By identifying these non-mendelian
modes of inheritance for genes that
have important production and quality
outcomes, we can better understand the
genetic architecture of quantitative traits in
animals and humans.
“For beef producers, this means more
accurate estimates of the breeding values
of animals,” Professor Hiendleder says.
“That leads to increased efficiencies – we
can select for particular characteristics
more efficiently; we can produce with less
inputs and produce higher quality.”
Professor Hiendleder came to
Roseworthy from the highly regarded
Gene Centre of the Ludwig-Maximilian
University in Munich.
He was attracted to the University of
Adelaide because of the world-leading
researchers in pre-and post-natal
development (he is also a research leader
in the Robinson Institute’s Research
Centre for Reproductive Health) and
because of the JS Davies funding that
enabled him to establish a unique bovine
tissue bank at Roseworthy, allowing him
to do this exciting work.
“This is an extremely valuable
resource,” Professor Hiendleder says.
“No-one else in the world has anything
like we have here.”
He leads the JS Davies Epigenetics and
Genetics Group with four PhD students,
one post-doctoral research fellow and
a shifting population of Honours and
Veterinary Sciences students.
Head of the School of Animal and
Veterinary Sciences, Professor Kym
Abbott, says: “The School already has a
number of outstanding animal scientists
who have worked in the areas of genetics,
nutrition, food and fibre production of
ruminants for over a decade.
“The more recent arrival of Professor
Stefan Hiendleder, with his exciting and
groundbreaking work on epigenetics
in beef cattle, has expanded and
strengthened the School’s position as a
leading research provider in these fields.
“The expansion of the JS Davies
bequest will now facilitate the
appointment of at least two more eminent
researchers and the creation of a centre
for research in the areas related to food
animal production, health and welfare.
“Within five years we expect this unit
will be the most significant research hub
for food and fibre animals in Australia,
including, as you would expect in a
vibrant research institution, a large
body of postdoctoral scientists and
PhD students.”
We are using bovine
models to generate
outcomes in epigenetics
that will be of great benefit
to the beef industry and
beyond, including human
medicine.
Left: Professor Stefan
Hiendleder at The
University of Adelaide
Roseworthy campus
Photo by Chris Tonkin
The University of Adelaide | Alumni Magazine 5
