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Capomaccio S, Ablondi M, Colombi D, Sartori C, Giontella A, Cappelli K, Mancin E, Asti V, Mantovani R, Sabbioni A, Silvestrelli M. Exploring the Italian equine gene pool via high-throughput genotyping. Front Genet 2023; 14:1099896. [PMID: 36755577 PMCID: PMC9900106 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1099896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: The Italian peninsula is in the center of the Mediterranean area, and historically it has been a hub for numerous human populations, cultures, and also animal species that enriched the hosted biodiversity. Horses are no exception to this phenomenon, with the peculiarity that the gene pool has been impacted by warfare and subsequent "colonization". In this study, using a comprehensive dataset for almost the entire Italian equine population, in addition to the most influential cosmopolitan breeds, we describe the current status of the modern Italian gene pool. Materials and Methods: The Italian dataset comprised 1,308 individuals and 22 breeds genotyped at a 70 k density that was merged with publicly available data to facilitate comparison with the global equine diversity. After quality control and supervised subsampling to ensure consistency among breeds, the merged dataset with the global equine diversity contained data for 1,333 individuals from 54 populations. Multidimensional scaling, admixture, gene flow, and effective population size were analyzed. Results and Discussion: The results show that some of the native Italian breeds preserve distinct gene pools, potentially because of adaptation to the different geographical contexts of the peninsula. Nevertheless, the comparison with international breeds highlights the presence of strong gene flow from renowned breeds into several Italian breeds, probably due to historical introgression. Coldblood breeds with stronger genetic identity were indeed well differentiated from warmblood breeds, which are highly admixed. Other breeds showed further peculiarities due to their breeding history. Finally, we observed some breeds that exist more on cultural, traditional, and geographical point of view than due to actual genetic distinctiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Capomaccio
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy,Sport Horse Research Centre (CRCS), University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy,*Correspondence: Stefano Capomaccio, ; Michela Ablondi,
| | - Michela Ablondi
- Department of Veterinary Science, University of Parma, Parma, Italy,*Correspondence: Stefano Capomaccio, ; Michela Ablondi,
| | - Daniele Colombi
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy,Department of Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Cristina Sartori
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals, and Environment, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Andrea Giontella
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy,Sport Horse Research Centre (CRCS), University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Katia Cappelli
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy,Sport Horse Research Centre (CRCS), University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Enrico Mancin
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals, and Environment, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Vittoria Asti
- Department of Veterinary Science, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Roberto Mantovani
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals, and Environment, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Alberto Sabbioni
- Department of Veterinary Science, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Maurizio Silvestrelli
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy,Sport Horse Research Centre (CRCS), University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
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Lancioni H, Cardinali I, Giontella A, Antognoni MT, Miglio A. Mitochondrial DNA variation in the Italian Heavy Draught Horse. PeerJ 2020; 8:e8996. [PMID: 32461825 PMCID: PMC7233276 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.8996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2019] [Accepted: 03/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In the last decades, Italy as well as other developed countries have registered a decrease in the population size of many local horse breeds. The continuous crossbreeding has determined the dilution of genetic heritage of several native breeds. The Italian Heavy Draught Horse (IHD) is the only autochthonous Italian coldblooded horse among these breeds; therefore, it represents a resource to be preserved. In 1927, the first generation of this breed was officially created by crossing different Heavy Draught horses with local mares and recorded in a Studbook. Methodology To provide the first comprehensive overview of the genetic diversity of Italian Heavy Draught horses from Central Italy, we produced and phylogenetically analysed 52 mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control-region sequences. Furthermore, we evaluated data available from GenBank (N = 568) to have a more complete scenario and to understand the relationships with other European Heavy Draught horse breeds. Results Among the IHD samples that were analysed, we identified ten of the 17 haplogroups described in modern horses. Most of these sequences fell into L, G, and M lineages, thus showing the overall mtDNA legacy of the ancestral mares that were probably used at the initial stages of breeding selections a long time ago. The high mitochondrial haplotype diversity (Hd = 0.969) found in our samples reflected the multiple maternal origins of the horses. Our results highlighted a considerable percentage of haplotypes shared especially with Bardigiano and Hungarian Heavy Draught breeds. Furthermore, both the presence of four unique haplotypes detected in our samples and their absence among all equine mitochondrial published data demonstrate a mitochondrial peculiarity that needs to be further investigated and preserved with careful breeding practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hovirag Lancioni
- Department of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Irene Cardinali
- Department of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Andrea Giontella
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | | | - Arianna Miglio
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
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Putnová L, Štohl R, Vrtková I. Genetic monitoring of horses in the Czech Republic: A large-scale study with a focus on the Czech autochthonous breeds. J Anim Breed Genet 2018; 135:73-83. [PMID: 29345072 DOI: 10.1111/jbg.12313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2017] [Accepted: 12/07/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
We propose the first comprehensive in-depth study monitoring horses in the Czech Republic. We scanned 9,289 animals from 44 populations for 17 equine STRs. Other equids analysed involved Equus przewalskii and Equus asinus. The total of 228 different alleles were detected, with the mean number of 13.4 per locus. The highest allelic richness (AR) was found in the Welsh Part Bred (6.01), followed by the Camargue (5.93) and Czech Sport Pony (5.91), whereas the Friesian exhibited the lowest AR (3.06). Interpopulation differences explained approximately nine per cent of the total genetic diversity. Reynold's genetic distance ranged from 0.003 between the Czech Warmblood and the Slovak Warmblood to 0.404 between the Friesian and donkeys. Close genetic proximity between the Silesian Noriker and Noriker was revealed. The Moravian Warmblood was better differentiated and more distant from the Czech Warmblood than the Kinsky Horse and retained the original genes of the old Austro-Hungarian tribes. A high gene flow level and a lack of genetic structure were found in the seven studied populations. Despite the historical bottlenecks and previous inbreeding, the Czech-Moravian Belgian Horse, Hucul, Old Kladruber Horse and Silesian Noriker did not suffer a serious loss of genetic diversity due to genetic drift/low effective population size. A NeighborNet dendrogram revealed breeds not classified in their groups according to the nomenclature (the Friesian, Hafling and Merens).
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Affiliation(s)
- L Putnová
- Laboratory of Agrogenomics, Department of Morphology, Physiology and Animal Genetics, Faculty of Agronomy, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - R Štohl
- Department of Control and Instrumentation, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication, Brno University of Technology, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - I Vrtková
- Laboratory of Agrogenomics, Department of Morphology, Physiology and Animal Genetics, Faculty of Agronomy, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
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Trombetta MF, Nocelli F, Pasquini M. Meat quality and intramuscular fatty acid composition of Catria Horse. Anim Sci J 2016; 88:1107-1112. [PMID: 27911482 DOI: 10.1111/asj.12737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2016] [Revised: 08/01/2016] [Accepted: 09/15/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
In order to extend scientific knowledge on autochthonous Italian equine meat, the physical-chemical parameters of Catria Horse Longissimus thoracis (LT) muscle and its nutritional characteristics have been investigated. Ten steaks of Catria foal raised at pasture and fattened indoors for 2 months were dissected, and LT muscle was analyzed for chemical composition, total iron, drip loss, colorimetric characteristics, intramuscular fat, fatty acid profile and nutritional indexes. Steak dissection showed that LT muscle accounted for 36.78% and fat accounted for 9.19% of weight of steak. Regarding chemical composition, protein and fat content was 20.31% and 2.83%, respectively. Total iron content (1.95 mg/100 g) was lower than data reported in the literature. Color parameters showed a luminous and intense red hue muscle. The sum of unsaturated fatty acid composition (50.3%) was higher than the sum of saturated fatty acids (46.64 %). The fatty acid profile and nutritional values of Catria Horse meat could be modified adopting extensive rearing systems and grazing. The data suggests that further investigation on the composition of Catria Horse meat should be carried out to valorize this autochthonous breed, reared in sustainable livestock systems, and its meat in local short-chain systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Federica Trombetta
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari ed Ambientali, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Francesco Nocelli
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari ed Ambientali, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Marina Pasquini
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari ed Ambientali, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy
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Cardinali I, Lancioni H, Giontella A, Capodiferro MR, Capomaccio S, Buttazzoni L, Biggio GP, Cherchi R, Albertini E, Olivieri A, Cappelli K, Achilli A, Silvestrelli M. An Overview of Ten Italian Horse Breeds through Mitochondrial DNA. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0153004. [PMID: 27054850 PMCID: PMC4824442 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0153004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2015] [Accepted: 03/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The climatic and cultural diversity of the Italian Peninsula triggered, over time, the development of a great variety of horse breeds, whose origin and history are still unclear. To clarify this issue, analyses on phenotypic traits and genealogical data were recently coupled with molecular screening. METHODOLOGY To provide a comprehensive overview of the horse genetic variability in Italy, we produced and phylogenetically analyzed 407 mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control-region sequences from ten of the most important Italian riding horse and pony breeds: Bardigiano, Esperia, Giara, Lipizzan, Maremmano, Monterufolino, Murgese, Sarcidano, Sardinian Anglo-Arab, and Tolfetano. A collection of 36 Arabian horses was also evaluated to assess the genetic consequences of their common use for the improvement of some local breeds. CONCLUSIONS In Italian horses, all previously described domestic mtDNA haplogroups were detected as well as a high haplotype diversity. These findings indicate that the ancestral local mares harbored an extensive genetic diversity. Moreover, the limited haplotype sharing (11%) with the Arabian horse reveals that its impact on the autochthonous mitochondrial gene pools during the final establishment of pure breeds was marginal, if any. The only significant signs of genetic structure and differentiation were detected in the geographically most isolated contexts (i.e. Monterufolino and Sardinian breeds). Such a geographic effect was also confirmed in a wider breed setting, where the Italian pool stands in an intermediate position together with most of the other Mediterranean stocks. However, some notable exceptions and peculiar genetic proximities lend genetic support to historical theories about the origin of specific Italian breeds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Cardinali
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Biologia e Biotecnologie, Università di Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Hovirag Lancioni
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Biologia e Biotecnologie, Università di Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Andrea Giontella
- Centro di Studio del Cavallo Sportivo, Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università di Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | | | - Stefano Capomaccio
- Centro di Studio del Cavallo Sportivo, Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università di Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Luca Buttazzoni
- Centro di ricerca per la produzione delle carni e il miglioramento genetico, Sede centrale–Monterotondo, Roma, Italy
| | | | - Raffaele Cherchi
- Agenzia per la ricerca in agricoltura–AGRIS Sardegna, Sassari, Italy
| | - Emidio Albertini
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari ed Ambientali, Università di Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Anna Olivieri
- Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie “L. Spallanzani”, Università di Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Katia Cappelli
- Centro di Studio del Cavallo Sportivo, Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università di Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Alessandro Achilli
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Biologia e Biotecnologie, Università di Perugia, Perugia, Italy
- Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie “L. Spallanzani”, Università di Pavia, Pavia, Italy
- * E-mail:
| | - Maurizio Silvestrelli
- Centro di Studio del Cavallo Sportivo, Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università di Perugia, Perugia, Italy
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Genetic characterization of four native Italian shepherd dog breeds and analysis of their relationship to cosmopolitan dog breeds using microsatellite markers. Animal 2015; 9:1921-8. [PMID: 26245492 DOI: 10.1017/s1751731115001561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Very little research into genetic diversity of Italian native dog breeds has been carried out so far. In this study we aimed to estimate and compare the genetic diversity of four native Italian shepherd dog breeds: the Maremma, Bergamasco, Lupino del Gigante and Oropa shepherds. Therefore, some cosmopolitan dog breeds, which have been widely raised in Italy for a long time past, have also been considered to check possible influence of these dog populations on the Italian autochthonous breeds considered here. A total of 212 individuals, belonging to 10 different dog breeds, were sampled and genotyped using 18 autosomal microsatellite loci. We analyzed the genetic diversity of these breeds, within breed diversity, breed relationship and population structure. The 10 breeds considered in this study were clearly genetically differentiated from each other, regardless of current population sizes and the onset of separate breeding history. The level of genetic diversity explained 20% of the total genetic variation. The level of H E found here is in agreement with that found by other studies. The native Italian breeds showed generally higher genetic diversity compared with the long established, well-defined cosmopolitan dog breeds. As the Border Collie seems closer to the Italian breeds than the other cosmopolitan shepherd dogs considered here, a possible utilization of this breed to improve working performance in Italian traditional working shepherd dogs cannot be ignored. The data and information found here can be utilized in the organization of conservation programs planned to reduce inbreeding and to minimize loss of genetic variability.
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Khanshour A, Juras R, Blackburn R, Cothran EG. The legend of the Canadian horse: genetic diversity and breed origin. J Hered 2015; 106:37-44. [PMID: 25416795 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esu074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The Canadian breed of horse invokes a fascinating chapter of North American history and as such it is now a heritage breed and the national horse of Canada. The aims of this study were to determine the level of genetic diversity in the Canadian, investigate the possible foundation breeds and the role it had in the development of the US horse breeds, such as Morgan Horse. We tested a total of 981 horses by using 15 microsatellite markers. We found that Canadian horses have high values of genetic diversity indices and show no evidence of a serious loss of genetic diversity and the inbreeding coefficient was not significantly different from zero. Belgian, Percheron, Breton and Dales Pony, unlike the light French horses, may have common ancestries with the Canadian and could be important founders. However, the Shire and Clydesdale influenced the Canadian to a lesser extent than French and Belgian draft breeds. Furthermore, our finding indicated that there was no evidence of a clear relationship between Canadian and Oriental or Iberian breeds. Also, the Canadian likely contributed to the early development of the Morgan. Finally, these findings support the ancient legends of the Canadian Horse as North America’s first equine breed and the foundation bloodstock to many American breeds and may help in the management and breeding program of this outstanding breed in North America.
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Bigi D, Perrotta G, Zambonelli P. Genetic analysis of seven Italian horse breeds based on mitochondrial DNA D-loop variation. Anim Genet 2014; 45:593-5. [DOI: 10.1111/age.12156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/01/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- D. Bigi
- Department of Agricultural and Food Science and Technology (DISTAL); University of Bologna; Via F.lli Rosselli 107 42123 Reggio Emilia Italy
| | - G. Perrotta
- Associazione Italiana Allevatori - Laboratorio Genetica e Servizi (LGS); Cremona Italy
| | - P. Zambonelli
- Department of Agricultural and Food Science and Technology (DISTAL); University of Bologna; Via F.lli Rosselli 107 42123 Reggio Emilia Italy
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Pirault P, Danvy S, Verrier E, Leroy G. Genetic structure and gene flows within horses: a genealogical study at the french population scale. PLoS One 2013; 8:e61544. [PMID: 23630596 PMCID: PMC3632587 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0061544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2012] [Accepted: 03/11/2013] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Since horse breeds constitute populations submitted to variable and multiple outcrossing events, we analyzed the genetic structure and gene flows considering horses raised in France. We used genealogical data, with a reference population of 547,620 horses born in France between 2002 and 2011, grouped according to 55 breed origins. On average, individuals had 6.3 equivalent generations known. Considering different population levels, fixation index decreased from an overall species FIT of 1.37%, to an average of −0.07% when considering the 55 origins, showing that most horse breeds constitute populations without genetic structure. We illustrate the complexity of gene flows existing among horse breeds, a few populations being closed to foreign influence, most, however, being submitted to various levels of introgression. In particular, Thoroughbred and Arab breeds are largely used as introgression sources, since those two populations explain together 26% of founder origins within the overall horse population. When compared with molecular data, breeds with a small level of coancestry also showed low genetic distance; the gene pool of the breeds was probably impacted by their reproducer exchanges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pauline Pirault
- AgroParisTech, Unité Mixte de Recherche 1313 Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, Paris, France
| | - Sophy Danvy
- Institut Français du Cheval et de l'Equitation, Le Pin au Haras, France
| | - Etienne Verrier
- AgroParisTech, Unité Mixte de Recherche 1313 Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, Paris, France
- Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 1313 Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, Domaine de Vilvert, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Grégoire Leroy
- AgroParisTech, Unité Mixte de Recherche 1313 Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, Paris, France
- Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 1313 Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, Domaine de Vilvert, Jouy-en-Josas, France
- * E-mail:
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Khanshour AM, Juras R, Cothran EG. Microsatellite analysis of genetic variability in Waler horses from Australia. AUST J ZOOL 2013. [DOI: 10.1071/zo13062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The Waler horse breed is an integral part of Australian history. The purposes of this study were to analyse the genetic variability in Waler horses from Australia and to investigate genetic relationships with other horse breeds. We examined the genetic diversity of 70 Waler horses sampled from seven breeding stations in Australia. Also we analysed the relationships of these horses with 11 other horse breeds. Analysis of the genetic structure was carried out using 15 microsatellite loci, genetic distances, AMOVA, factorial correspondence analysis and a Bayesian method. We found that the genetic diversity in the Waler was greater than the domestic horse mean and exceeded that of all endangered horse breeds. Our findings also revealed moderate population subdivision rather than inbreeding. All genetic similarity measures indicated that the Thoroughbred might be a key ancestor to the Waler. This study indicates that there is no immediate concern for loss of variation in Waler horses. Also, there clearly has been a strong input from the Thoroughbred into the Waler horse breed. However, the genetic evidence suggests that this input was not just direct but also came through other types of horses with a Thoroughbred cross background.
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