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Sohail Ashraf M, Basheer A, Iqbal F, Zahoor I. Unravelling of the genetic diversity, population structure, and phylogenetic relationships of the indigenous horse breeds of Pakistan. Gene 2023; 889:147736. [PMID: 37714277 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2023.147736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/17/2023]
Abstract
The current study aimed to evaluate the genetic diversity, level of admixture, and phylogenetic relationship, of the Pakistani horse breeds, along with their morphological characterization. Data for the body measurements showed that Morna horses had the highest values of body height, body length, chest girth, leg length, and head length, whereas the Baluchi horses had the lowest values for these traits. For the genetic diversity 64 animals, 15/breed except for Baluchi(14) and Topras(05), were genotyped by using the 17-plex equine genotyping kit. The AMOVA results showed that 13% of genetic diversity was explained by breed differences, whereas 27% and 60% came from among and within individuals respectively. The highest values of genetic diversity parameters including Na(7.29±0.29), Ne(5.73±0.28), Ho(0.74±0.05) and He(0.82±0.01) were observed for Morna, whereas their lowest values were found for Topras. However, the highest value of inbreeding coefficient (Fis) was found for Baluchi and the lowest for KB horses. Among the markers, CA425 was found as the most polymorphic and ASB23 as the least polymorphic and highly fixed marker. Results of structure analysis revealed that, except Topras, each local horse breed had very admixed genetic structure perhaps due to their continuous crossing with other breeds in the past. Moreover, the structure analysis also showed that Morna and Shiean breeds had mixing of each other which was also confirmed by the lowest value of their pairwise Fst values and likewise the phylogenetic analysis also showed their close genetic relationship with each other. The phylogenetic analysis also revealed that Shiean breed had close genetic relationship with Arabian horses. Collectively, our data showed that Morna is the largest and genetically most diverse horse breed of Pakistan, whereas Baluchi horses are the smallest in size and have the highest values of inbreeding coefficient. And the phylogeny analysis showed that Shiean breed had close genetic relationship with the Arabian.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Sohail Ashraf
- Genetics and Genomics Laboratory, Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Pattoki, Pakistan
| | - Atia Basheer
- Genetics and Genomics Laboratory, Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Pattoki, Pakistan
| | - Farheena Iqbal
- Centre for Applied Molecular Biology, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Imran Zahoor
- Genetics and Genomics Laboratory, Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Pattoki, Pakistan.
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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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Klouth E, Zablotski Y, Petersen JL, de Bruijn M, Gröndahl G, Müller S, Goehring LS. Epidemiological Aspects of Equid Herpesvirus-Associated Myeloencephalopathy (EHM) Outbreaks. Viruses 2022; 14:v14112576. [PMID: 36423188 PMCID: PMC9695031 DOI: 10.3390/v14112576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Equid Herpesvirus Myeloencephalopathy (EHM) is a multifactorial disease following an EHV-1 infection in Equidae. We investigated a total of 589 horses on 13 premises in Europe in search of risk factors for the development of EHM. We found that fever (p < 0.001), increasing age (p = 0.032), and female sex (p = 0.042) were risk factors for EHM in a logistic mixed model. Some breeds had a decreased risk to develop EHM compared to others (Shetland and Welsh ponies; p = 0.017; p = 0.031), and fewer EHV-1-vaccinated horses were affected by EHM compared to unvaccinated horses (p = 0.02). Data evaluation was complex due to high variability between outbreaks with regards to construction and environment; viral characteristics and the virus's transmissibility were affected by operational management. This study confirms earlier suspected host-specific risk factors, and our data support the benefit of high vaccine coverage at high-traffic boarding facilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Klouth
- Center for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians University, 80539 Munich, Germany
| | - Yury Zablotski
- Center for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians University, 80539 Munich, Germany
| | - Jessica L. Petersen
- Department of Animal Science, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
| | - Marco de Bruijn
- Wolvega Equine Hospital, 8474 EA Oldeholtpade, The Netherlands
| | | | - Susanne Müller
- Baden-Wuerttemberg Animal Health Services, 70736 Fellbach, Germany
| | - Lutz S. Goehring
- M.H. Gluck Equine Research Center, College of Agriculture, Food and the Environment, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, USA
- Correspondence:
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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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Vázquez-Armijo JF, Parra-Bracamonte GM, Velazquez MA, Sifuentes-Rincón AM, Tinoco-Jaramillo JL, Ambriz-Morales P, Arellano-Vera W, Moreno-Medina VR. Diversity and effective population size of four horse breeds from microsatellite DNA markers in South-Central Mexico. Arch Anim Breed 2017. [DOI: 10.5194/aab-60-137-2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract. The South-Central region of Mexico has experienced a sizeable introduction of purebred horses for recreational aims. A study was designed to assess effective population sizes and genetic diversity and to verify the genetic integrity of four horse breeds. Using a 12-microsatellite panel, Quarter Horse, Azteca, Thoroughbred and Creole (CRL) horses were sampled and analysed for diversity and genetic structure. Genetic diversity parameters showed high numbers of heterozygous horses but small effective population sizes in all breeds. Population structure results suggested some degree of admixture of CRL with the other reference breeds. The highly informative microsatellite panel allowed the verification of diversity in introduced horse populations and the confirmation of small effective population sizes, which suggests a risk for future breed integrity.
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Pablo Gómez M, Landi V, Martínez AM, Gómez Carpio M, Nogales Baena S, Delgado Bermejo JV, Oom MDM, Luis C, Ouragh L, Vega-Pla JL. Genetic diversity of the semi-feral Marismeño horse breed assessed with microsatellites. ITALIAN JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/1828051x.2016.1241132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Vincenzo Landi
- Departamento de Genética, University of Cordoba, Córdoba, Spain
| | | | | | | | | | - María do Mar Oom
- Centro de Biologia Ambiental, University of Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Cristina Luis
- Centro Interuniversitário de História das Ciências e da Tecnologia, University of Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
- Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência, University of Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | | | - José Luis Vega-Pla
- Laboratorio de Investigación Aplicada, Ministerio de Defensa, Cordoba, Spain
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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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Abstract
Salernitano (SAL) is an ancient Italian horse breed developed over the course of the ages together with Napoletano and, during the 20th century, by crossing with Thoroughbred horse lines. Excellent in hurdle jumping, this breed is currently facing a concrete risk of extinction due to the lack of appropriate management strategies. This research is the first SAL genetic characterization that aims to set up the basic knowledge for a conservation plan. A representative sample of 61 SALs was analyzed by means of a set of 16 microsatellites markers (short tandem repeats (STRs)). The sequence of hypervariable D-loop mtDNA region was also performed on a subset of 24 mares in order to study the maternal diversity and obtain a complete picture of the internal genetic variation. All the molecular data were analyzed together with those obtained from three Sicilian horse breeds investigated in a previous research (Siciliano, Sanfratellano and Sicilian Oriental Purebred). STRs markers revealed a moderate level of genetic diversity in SAL (alleles/locus 5.1, He 0.67) and confirmed the hunch of genetic erosion. Autosomal variability highlighted a very light deficit of homozygotes (FIS=-0.067). Experimental D-loop sequences were compared by multiple alignments with those retrieved from biological databases and revealed two unreported haplotypes. The phylogenetic network, which was built on mtDNA sequences, included various cosmopolitan and European horses and showed SAL haplotypes distributed among different mtDNA lineages.
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Lopes MS, Mendonça D, Rojer H, Cabral V, Bettencourt SX, da Câmara Machado A. Morphological and genetic characterization of an emerging Azorean horse breed: the Terceira Pony. Front Genet 2015; 6:62. [PMID: 25774165 PMCID: PMC4343030 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2015.00062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2014] [Accepted: 02/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The Terceira Pony is a horse indigenous to Terceira Island in the Azores. These horses were very important during the colonization of the island. Due to their very balanced proportions and correct gaits, and with an average withers height of 1.28 m, the Terceira Pony is often confused with a miniature pure-bred Lusitano. This population was officially recognized as the fourth Portuguese equine breed by the national authorities in January, 2014. The aim of this study was to analyze the morphology and the genetic diversity by means of microsatellite markers of this emerging horse breed. The biometric data consisted of 28 body measurements and nine angles from 30 animals (11 sires, 19 dams). The Terceira Pony is now a recognized horse breed and is gaining in popularity amongst breeders and the younger riding classes. The information obtained from this study will be very useful for conservation and management purposes, including maximizing the breed’s genetic diversity, and solidifying the desirable phenotypic traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria S Lopes
- Biotechnology Centre of Azores, Department of Agriculture, University of Azores, Angra do Heroísmo Portugal
| | - Duarte Mendonça
- Biotechnology Centre of Azores, Department of Agriculture, University of Azores, Angra do Heroísmo Portugal
| | - Horst Rojer
- Biotechnology Centre of Azores, Department of Agriculture, University of Azores, Angra do Heroísmo Portugal
| | - Verónica Cabral
- Biotechnology Centre of Azores, Department of Agriculture, University of Azores, Angra do Heroísmo Portugal
| | - Sílvia X Bettencourt
- Biotechnology Centre of Azores, Department of Agriculture, University of Azores, Angra do Heroísmo Portugal
| | - Artur da Câmara Machado
- Biotechnology Centre of Azores, Department of Agriculture, University of Azores, Angra do Heroísmo Portugal
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Barcaccia G, Felicetti M, Galla G, Capomaccio S, Cappelli K, Albertini E, Buttazzoni L, Pieramati C, Silvestrelli M, Verini Supplizi A. Molecular analysis of genetic diversity, population structure and inbreeding level of the Italian Lipizzan horse. Livest Sci 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.livsci.2012.11.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Petersen JL, Mickelson JR, Cothran EG, Andersson LS, Axelsson J, Bailey E, Bannasch D, Binns MM, Borges AS, Brama P, da Câmara Machado A, Distl O, Felicetti M, Fox-Clipsham L, Graves KT, Guérin G, Haase B, Hasegawa T, Hemmann K, Hill EW, Leeb T, Lindgren G, Lohi H, Lopes MS, McGivney BA, Mikko S, Orr N, Penedo MCT, Piercy RJ, Raekallio M, Rieder S, Røed KH, Silvestrelli M, Swinburne J, Tozaki T, Vaudin M, M Wade C, McCue ME. Genetic diversity in the modern horse illustrated from genome-wide SNP data. PLoS One 2013; 8:e54997. [PMID: 23383025 PMCID: PMC3559798 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0054997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 168] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2012] [Accepted: 12/20/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Horses were domesticated from the Eurasian steppes 5,000-6,000 years ago. Since then, the use of horses for transportation, warfare, and agriculture, as well as selection for desired traits and fitness, has resulted in diverse populations distributed across the world, many of which have become or are in the process of becoming formally organized into closed, breeding populations (breeds). This report describes the use of a genome-wide set of autosomal SNPs and 814 horses from 36 breeds to provide the first detailed description of equine breed diversity. F(ST) calculations, parsimony, and distance analysis demonstrated relationships among the breeds that largely reflect geographic origins and known breed histories. Low levels of population divergence were observed between breeds that are relatively early on in the process of breed development, and between those with high levels of within-breed diversity, whether due to large population size, ongoing outcrossing, or large within-breed phenotypic diversity. Populations with low within-breed diversity included those which have experienced population bottlenecks, have been under intense selective pressure, or are closed populations with long breed histories. These results provide new insights into the relationships among and the diversity within breeds of horses. In addition these results will facilitate future genome-wide association studies and investigations into genomic targets of selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica L Petersen
- University of Minnesota, College of Veterinary Medicine, St Paul, MN, USA.
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Xu LX, Yang SL, Lin RY, Yang HB, Li AP, Wan QS. Genetic diversity and population structure of Chinese pony breeds using microsatellite markers. GENETICS AND MOLECULAR RESEARCH 2012; 11:2629-40. [PMID: 22782636 DOI: 10.4238/2012.june.25.4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
China is one of the principal origins of ponies in the world. We made a comprehensive analysis of genetic diversity and population structure of Chinese ponies based on 174 animals of five indigenous Chinese pony breeds from five provinces using 13 microsatellite markers. One hundred and forty-four alleles were detected; the mean number of effective alleles among the pony breeds ranged from 5.38 (Guizhou) to 6.78 (Sichuan); the expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.82 (Guizhou) to 0.85 (Debao, Sichuan). Although abundant genetic variation was found, the genetic differentiation was low between the ponies, with 6% total genetic variance among the different breeds. All the pairwise F(ST) values were significant; they varied from 0.0424 for the Sichuan-Yunnan pair to 0.0833 for the Guizhou-Sichuan pair. All five pony breeds deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, except the Yunnan pony. Phylogenetic trees of the five pony breeds based on genetic distances were constructed using a neighbor-joining method. The Sichuan and Yunnan ponies were grouped into the same branch, with a high bootstrap support value (97%). Guizhou and Ningqiang ponies were clustered into the same branch with a bootstrap value of 56%, whereas the Debao pony was placed in a separate group, with a bootstrap value of 56%. This grouping pattern was supported by genetic structure analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- L X Xu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction for Mountainous Areas, Chinese Educational Ministry, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
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Bigi D, Perrotta G. Genetic structure and differentiation of the Italian catria horse. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012; 103:134-9. [PMID: 22156056 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esr121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Catria is 1 of the 22 native Italian horse breeds that now survive from a larger number. Thirty individuals, representative of the Catria horse, were analyzed for 11 microsatellites and compared with data of 10 breeds reared in Italy. Three different approaches, genetic distances, correspondence analysis, and clustering methods, were considered to study genetic relationships among Catria and the other horse populations. Genetic differentiation among breeds was highly significant (P < 0.01) for all loci. Average F(ST) values indicate that around 10% of the total genetic variation was explained by the between-breed differences and the 3 approaches utilized gave similar results. Italian native breeds are clearly separated from the other examined breeds. However, by the correspondence analysis, the Catria appears closer to Maremmano and Murgese. The results of Bayesian approaches give further information showing for Catria a common origin with Maremmano and Italian Heavy Draught. Genetic relationships among Catria and the other breeds are consistent with the breed's documented history. The data and information found here can be utilized in the organization of conservation programmes planned to reduce inbreeding and to minimize loss of genetic variability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniele Bigi
- Dipartimento di Protezione e Valorizzazione Agroalimentare(DIPROVAL)-Sezione Allevamenti Zootecnici, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Bologna, Via F.lli Rosselli 107, 42123 Reggio Emilia, Italy.
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Guastella AM, Zuccaro A, Criscione A, Marletta D, Bordonaro S. Genetic analysis of Sicilian autochthonous horse breeds using nuclear and mitochondrial DNA markers. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011; 102:753-8. [PMID: 21914666 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esr091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Genetic diversity and relationship among 3 Sicilian horse breeds were investigated using 16 microsatellite markers and a 397-bp length mitochondrial D-loop sequence. The analysis of autosomal DNA was performed on 191 horses (80 Siciliano [SIC], 61 Sanfratellano [SAN], and 50 Sicilian Oriental Purebred [SOP]). SIC and SAN breeds were notably higher in genetic variability than the SOP. Genetic distances and cluster analysis showed a close relationship between SIC and SAN breeds, as expected according to the breeds' history. Sequencing of hypervariable mitochondrial DNA region was performed on a subset of 60 mares (20 for each breed). Overall, 20 haplotypes with 31 polymorphic sites were identified: A higher haplotype diversity was detected in SIC and SAN breeds, with 13 and 11 haplotypes respectively, whereas only one haplotype was found in SOP. These were compared with 118 sequences from GenBank. BLAST showed that 17 of the 20 haplotypes had been reported previously in other breeds. One haplotype, found in SIC, traces back to a Bronze Age archaeological site (Inner Mongolia). The 3 Sicilian breeds are now rare, and 2 of them are officially endangered. Our results represent a valuable tool for management strategies as well as for conservation purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Maria Guastella
- DISPA Sezione di Scienze delle Produzioni Animali, Università degli Studi di Catania, via Valdisavoia, 5, 95123 Catania, Italy
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