Use of NGS to identify the causal variant associated with a complex phenotype

This document summarizes a presentation on using next generation sequencing to identify the causal variant associated with a complex phenotype like dystocia in cattle. It discusses selecting animals to sequence, the sequencing and analysis process, challenges in annotation and validation, and recent successes in identifying causal mutations for other traits in cattle. The presentation outlines using sequencing to investigate a quantitative trait locus for dystocia on chromosome 18 in cattle that affects traits like birth weight and gestation length. It describes analyzing sequence data to identify variants associated with predicted birth weight and discusses ongoing challenges in sequencing, analysis, and validating causal variants.