Professor Oscar Gonzalez-Recio

Biography

Background

Oscar González-Recio completed his PhD in animal breeding in 2006 from the Polytechnic University of Madrid. Then, he spend his post-doctoral period in the University of Wisconsin-Madison (USA), working on statistical modelling of genomic information on complex phenotypes. In 2013, he worked on Feed Efficiency and Fertility as a Senior Research Scientist in the Department of Environment and Primary Industries ( Victoria, Australia). In 2015, he moved to INIA ( Madrid, Spain) where his most recent research projects include the selection of feed efficiency and lower methane emissions to breed more productive livestock that provide more food for human consumption with a reduced use of raw material and lower environmental and land footprint.

The role of the microbiome in the sustainability of animal husbandry and the use of metagenomic information in animal breeding is getting much of his research interest. Oscar has special interest on combining state-of-the-art statistical methods and Next Generation Sequencing Technologies such as Nanopore sequencing to analyse high throughput genomic information for complex traits. He is also associate professor at the Polytechnic University of Madrid, teaching population and quantitative genetics, breeding programs, genomic selection, statistical genetics, and bio-computation. He also participates in international courses as invited lecturer.

 

Dr. González-Recio is currently chair of the 'Microbiome' section of the International Society for Animal Genetics (ISAG), member of the committee of the World Congress of Genetics Applied to Animal Production (WCGALP), research member of the 'Feed and Gas' working group of the international animal data control committee, and is an active participant in the livestock emissions group of the "Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases".

The total number of coauthors in his publications is 462, emphasising his international projection. In addition, Oscar appears in the top 2% of the most influential researchers in his area according to the Stanford list (https:// elsevier.digitalcommonsdata.com/datasets/btchxktzyw/5).

Qualifications

2006 PhD in Animal Breeding, Polytechnic University of Madrid. "Female fertility in dairy cattle".

2002 Agricultural Engineer, major in Animal Science. Polytechnic University of Madrid.

Responsibilities & affiliations

Previous Positions 

  • 2007-2008. Post Doc Researcher at Dairy Science Department. University of Wisconsin-Madison.
  • 2009-2012. Research Associate. Department of Animal Breeding. National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology. Madrid.
  • 2013-2015. Senior Research Scientist. Department of Environment and Primary Industries. Melbourne, Victoria (Australia).
  • 2016-2022. Associate Professor. Department of Farm Production. Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Agronómica, Alimentaria y de Biosistemas (ETSIAAB). Polytechnic University of Madrid. Madrid.
  • 2016-2025. Senior Researcher. Department of Animal Breeding. National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology. Madrid.

 

Committees

  • 2023- Present. Chair of the Microbiome Committee at the International Society for Animal Genetics.

 

  • Member of the  Permanent Committee of the World Congress of Genetics Applied to Animal Production (WCGALP)
  • Member of the Research Advisory Group of the 'Feed and Gas' working group of the international animal data control committee.

 

Research summary

  • Genomic Selection
  • Rumen metagenomics
  • Livestock sustainability
  • Methane emissions
  • Epigenetics
  • Long reads sequencing

Selected Recent Publications

  • López-Catalina, A., Ragab, M., Reverter, A., González-Recio O. 2025. A Recursive Model Approach to Include Epigenetic Effects in Genetic Evaluations Using Simulated DNA Methylation Effects. J. Animal Breed and Genet. xxxx.
  • González-Recio, O., A. Fernández, J.A. Jiménez Montero. 2025. Epidemiological and genetic factors affecting severe epizootic hemorrhagic disease in Spanish Holstein cattle during the Southern Europe outbreak of 2023. Journal of Dairy Science, 108:3850–3857 https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2024-25520.
  • Marcos, C.N., A. Bach, M. Gutiérrez-Rivas, O. González-Recio. 2024. The oral microbiome as a proxy for feed efficiency in dairy cattle. Journal of Dairy Science, 107: 5881–5896. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2024-24014.
  • López-Catalina, A., Reverter, A., Alexandre, P. A., Nguyen, L. T., González-Recio, O. 2024. Stress-induced epigenetic effects driven by maternal lactation in dairy cattle: a comethylation network approach. Epigenetics, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/15592294.2024.2381856
  • Badia-Bringué, G., Canive,M., Vázquez, P., Garrido, J.M., Fernández, A., Juste, R.A., Jiménez, J.A., González-Recio, O., Alonso-Hearn, M. 2024. Genome-Wide Association Study Reveals Quantitative Trait Loci and Candidate Genes Associated with High Interferon-Gamma Production in Holstein Cattle Naturally Infected with Mycobacterium Bovis. Int. J. Mol.Sci. 25: 6165. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25116165
  • Varona, L., López-Carbonell, D., Srihi, H., Hervás-Rivero, C., González-Recio, O., Altarriba, J. 2024. Equivalence of variance components between standard and recursive genetic models using LDL′ transformations. Genet Sel Evol 56: 33 . https://doi.org/10.1186/s12711-024-00901-x
  • van Staaveren, N., Hinayah R. Oliveira, K. Houlahan, T.C.S. Chud, G.A. Oliveira, D. Hailemariam, G. Kistemaker, F. Miglior, G. Plastow, F. S. Schenkel, R. Cerri, M.A. Sirard, P. Stothard, J. Pryce, A. Butty, P. Stratz, E.A.E. Abdalla, D. Segelke, E. Stamer, G. Thaller, J. Lassen, C.I.V. Manzanilla-Pech, R. B. Stephansen, N. Charfeddine, A. Garcia-Rodriguez, O. González-Recio, J. López-Paredes, R. Baldwin, J. Burchard, K. Gaddis, J. E. Koltes, F. Peñagaricano, J.E. P. Santos, R. J. Tempelman, M. VandeHaar, K. Weigel, H. White, C. F. Baes. 2024. The Resilient Dairy Genome Project – a general overview of methods and objectives related to feed efficiency and methane emissions. Journal of Dairy Science, 107(3):1510-1522. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2022-22951.
  • Martínez-Álvaro, M., Mattock, J., González-Recio, Ó., Saborío-Montero, A., Weng, Z., Lima, J., Duthie, C.A., Dewhurst, R., Cleveland, M.A., Watson, M., and Roehe, R. 2024. Including microbiome information in a multi-trait genomic evaluation: a case study on longitudinal growth performance in beef cattle. Genet Sel Evol 56: 19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12711-024-00887-6
  • López-Catalina, A., Costes, V., Peiró-Pastor, R., Kiefer, H., González-Recio, O. 2024. Oxford nanopore sequencing as an alternative to reduced representation bisulphite sequencing for the identification of CpGs of interest in livestock populations. Livestock Science,Vol. 279, 105377. ISSN 1871-1413 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.livsci.2023.105377).
  • Badia-Bringué, Gerard, María Canive, Patricia Vázquez, Joseba M. Garrido, Almudena Fernández, Ramón A. Juste, José Antonio Jiménez, González-Recio, O. and Marta Alonso-Hearn. 2023. Association between High Interferon-Gamma Production in Avian Tuberculin-Stimulated Blood from Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis-Infected Cattle and Candidate Genes Implicated in Necroptosis. Microorganisms 11, no. 7: 1817. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11071817.
  • González-Recio, O., López-Catalina, A., Peiró-Pastor, R. et al. Evaluating the potential of (epi)genotype-by-low pass nanopore sequencing in dairy cattle: a study on direct genomic value and methylation analysis. J Animal Sci Biotechnol 14, 98 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40104-023-00896-3
  • Gonzalez-Recio, O., Scrobota N, López-Paredes J, Saborío-Montero A, Fernández A, López de Maturana E, Villanueva E, Goiri I, Atxaerandio R, García- Rodríguez A. 2023. Review: Diving into the cow hologenome to reduce methane emissions and increase sustainability. Animal, 100780,ISSN 1751-7311. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.animal.2023.100780.
  • Varona, L., González-Recio, O. 2023. Invited review: Recursive models in animal breeding: Interpretation, limitations, and extensions. Journal of Dairy Science 106: 2198–2212. ISSN 0022-0302. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2022-22578.
  • González-Recio, O., M. Martínez-Álvaro, Francesco Tiezzi, A. Saborío-Montero, C. Maltecca, R. Roehe. 2023. Invited review: Novel methods and perspectives for modulating the rumen microbiome through selective breeding as a means to improve complex traits: Implications for methane emissions in cattle. Livestock Science, 269: 105171. ISSN 1871-1413. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.livsci.2023.105171.
  • Saborío-Montero, A., Gutiérrez-Rivas, M., Goiri, I., Atxaerandio R.,García-Rodriguez, A., López-Paredes, J., Jiménez-Montero, J.A., Gonzalez-Recio, O. 2022. Rumen eukaryotes are the main phenotypic risk factors for larger methane emissions in dairy cattle. Livestock Science, 263: 105023. ISSN 1871-1413. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.livsci.2022.105023.
  • Canive M, Badia-Bringué G, Vázquez P, Garrido JM, Juste RA, Fernandez A, González-Recio O and Alonso-Hearn M (2022). A Genome-Wide Association Study for Tolerance to Paratuberculosis Identifies Candidate Genes Involved in DNA Packaging, DNA Damage Repair, Innate Immunity, and Pathogen Persistence. Front. Immunol. 13:820965. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.820965
  • López-García A., Saborío-Montero A., Gutiérrez-Rivas M., Atxaerandio R., Goiri I.,García-Rodríguez A., Jiménez-Montero J.A., González C., Tamames J., Puente-Sánchez F., Serrano M., Carrasco R., Óvilo C., González-Recio O. 2022., Fungal and ciliate protozoa are the main rumen microbes associated with methane emissions in dairy cattle, GigaScience, Volume 11, 2022, giab088, https://doi.org/10.1093/gigascience/giab088
  • Saborío‐Montero A, Gutiérrez‐Rivas M, López-García A., García‐Rodríguez A, Atxaerandio R., Goiri I, Jiménez-Montero, González-Recio, O. 2021. Holobiont effect accounts for more methane emission variance than the additive and microbiome effects on dairy cattle. Livestock 250: 104538. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.livsci.2021.104538
  • Saborío‐Montero A, Gutiérrez‐Rivas M, López-García A., Atxaerandio R., Goiri I, García‐Rodríguez A, Jiménez-Montero J.A., González C., Tamames J., Puente-Sánchez F., Varona L., Serrano M., Óvilo C., González-Recio, O. 2021. A dimensional reduction approach to modulate the core ruminal microbiome associated with methane emissions via selective breeding. J. Dairy Sci, 104(7):8135-8151. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2020-20005
  • López-Paredes, J., Goiri I., Atxaerandio R., García-Rodríguez A., Ugarte E., Jiménez-Montero J.A., Alenda R and González-Recio O. 2020. Mitigation of greenhouse gases in dairy cattle via genetic selection (i): Genetic parameters of direct methane using non-invasive methods and its proxies. Journal of Dairy Science 103:7199–7209. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2019-17597
  • González-Recio O., López-Paredes, J., Ouatahar L., Charfeddine N., Ugarte E., Alenda R and  Jiménez-Montero J.A. 2020. Mitigation of greenhouse gases in dairy cattle via genetic selection (ii): incorporating methane emissions into the breeding goal. Journal of Dairy Science 103:7210–7221. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2019-17598.
  • Saborío‐Montero A, Gutiérrez‐Rivas M, García‐Rodríguez A, Atxaerandio R., Goiri I, López de Maturana E., Jiménez-Montero, Alenda R, González-Recio, O. Structural equation models to disentangle the biological relationship between microbiota and complex traits: Methane production in dairy cattle as a case of study. J Anim Breed Genet. 2020; 137 (1): 36–48. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbg.12444.
  • Delgado, B., Bach A., Guasch I., González C, Elcoso G., Pryce J.E., Gonzalez-Recio O. Whole rumen metagenome sequencing allows classifying and predicting feed efficiency and intake levels in cattle. 2019. Scientific Reports 9: 11. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-36673-w  

Invited speaker

  • González-Recio, O. 2024. Genomic tools for climate change mitigation and adaptation in dairy cattle. Fall 2024 Seminars at Purdue Livestock Genomics Group. Purdue University. December 11th, 2024.  Invited seminar.
  • González-Recio, O. Relación de la eficiencia alimentaria y las emisiones de metano con la rentabilidad y sustentabilidad del sector vacuno. 47º Congreso Argentino de Producción Animal. Instituto Superior de Profesorado (Santa Fe, Argentina). (25-27 September 2024). Invited talk.
  • González-Recio, O. Unraveling the Genomic Landscape of cow Microbiome for Enhanced Livestock Breeding. North Life Science, Sand Diego State University. San Diego, California (United States of America). (17 January 2024). Invited seminar.
  • González-Recio, O., Navarro Marcos, C., Gutiérrez-Rivas, M., López-Paredes J. Progress on Unraveling the Genomic Landscape of cow Microbiome for Enhanced Livestock Breeding. Plant and Animal Genome 31 Conference, San Diego, California (United States of America). (12-17 January 2024); https://plan.core-apps.com/pag_2024/speakers. Invited talk.
  • González-Recio, O. Genomics as a tool for adaptation and mitigation in dairy cattle: A taste from Spain. CGIL, Universidad de Guelph (Guelph, Canadá). (15 September 2022). Invited talk.
  • González-Recio, O. Using “Sniffer” technology to measure methane. 2022 Dairy cattle Industry Forum (Toronto, Canadá). (14 September 2022). Invited talk.
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