1
|
Gmel AI, Mikko S, Ricard A, Velie BD, Gerber V, Hamilton NA, Neuditschko M. Using high-density SNP data to unravel the origin of the Franches-Montagnes horse breed. Genet Sel Evol 2024; 56:53. [PMID: 38987703 PMCID: PMC11238448 DOI: 10.1186/s12711-024-00922-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/12/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Franches-Montagnes (FM) is the last native horse breed of Switzerland, established at the end of the 19th century by cross-breeding local mares with Anglo-Norman stallions. We collected high-density SNP genotype data (Axiom™ 670 K Equine genotyping array) from 522 FM horses, including 44 old-type horses (OF), 514 European Warmblood horses (WB) from Sweden and Switzerland (including a stallion used for cross-breeding in 1990), 136 purebred Arabians (AR), 32 Shagya Arabians (SA), and 64 Thoroughbred (TB) horses, as introgressed WB stallions showed TB origin in their pedigrees. The aim of the study was to ascertain fine-scale population structures of the FM breed, including estimation of individual admixture levels and genomic inbreeding (FROH) by means of Runs of Homozygosity. RESULTS To assess fine-scale population structures within the FM breed, we applied a three-step approach, which combined admixture, genetic contribution, and FROH of individuals into a high-resolution network visualization. Based on this approach, we were able to demonstrate that population substructures, as detected by model-based clustering, can be either associated with a different genetic origin or with the progeny of most influential sires. Within the FM breed, admixed horses explained most of the genetic variance of the current breeding population, while OF horses only accounted for a small proportion of the variance. Furthermore, we illustrated that FM horses showed high TB admixture levels and we identified inconsistencies in the origin of FM horses descending from the Arabian stallion Doktryner. With the exception of WB, FM horses were less inbred compared to the other breeds. However, the relatively few but long ROH segments suggested diversity loss in both FM subpopulations. Genes located in FM- and OF-specific ROH islands had known functions involved in conformation and behaviour, two traits that are highly valued by breeders. CONCLUSIONS The FM remains the last native Swiss breed, clearly distinguishable from other historically introgressed breeds, but it suffered bottlenecks due to intensive selection of stallions, restrictive mating choices based on arbitrary definitions of pure breeding, and selection of rare coat colours. To preserve the genetic diversity of FM horses, future conservation managements strategies should involve a well-balanced selection of stallions (e.g., by integrating OF stallions in the FM breeding population) and avoid selection for rare coat colours.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Annik Imogen Gmel
- Animal GenoPhenomics, Agroscope, Route de la Tioleyre 4, 1725, Posieux, Switzerland
- Equine Department, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 260, 8053, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sofia Mikko
- Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7023, 750 07, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Anne Ricard
- Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Domaine de Vilvert, 78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Brandon D Velie
- Equine Genetics and Genomics Group, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, RMC Gunn B19-603, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | - Vinzenz Gerber
- Institut Suisse de Médecine Equine ISME, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Länggassstrasse 124, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Natasha Anne Hamilton
- Sydney School of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | - Markus Neuditschko
- Animal GenoPhenomics, Agroscope, Route de la Tioleyre 4, 1725, Posieux, Switzerland.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Reich P, Möller S, Stock KF, Nolte W, von Depka Prondzinski M, Reents R, Kalm E, Kühn C, Thaller G, Falker-Gieske C, Tetens J. Genomic analyses of withers height and linear conformation traits in German Warmblood horses using imputed sequence-level genotypes. Genet Sel Evol 2024; 56:45. [PMID: 38872118 PMCID: PMC11177368 DOI: 10.1186/s12711-024-00914-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Body conformation, including withers height, is a major selection criterion in horse breeding and is associated with other important traits, such as health and performance. However, little is known about the genomic background of equine conformation. Therefore, the aim of this study was to use imputed sequence-level genotypes from up to 4891 German Warmblood horses to identify genomic regions associated with withers height and linear conformation traits. Furthermore, the traits were genetically characterised and putative causal variants for withers height were detected. RESULTS A genome-wide association study (GWAS) for withers height confirmed the presence of a previously known quantitative trait locus (QTL) on Equus caballus (ECA) chromosome 3 close to the LCORL/NCAPG locus, which explained 16% of the phenotypic variance for withers height. An additional significant association signal was detected on ECA1. Further investigations of the region on ECA3 identified a few promising candidate causal variants for withers height, including a nonsense mutation in the coding sequence of the LCORL gene. The estimated heritability for withers height was 0.53 and ranged from 0 to 0.34 for the conformation traits. GWAS identified significantly associated variants for more than half of the investigated conformation traits, among which 13 showed a peak on ECA3 in the same region as withers height. Genetic parameter estimation revealed high genetic correlations between these traits and withers height for the QTL on ECA3. CONCLUSIONS The use of imputed sequence-level genotypes from a large study cohort led to the discovery of novel QTL associated with conformation traits in German Warmblood horses. The results indicate the high relevance of the QTL on ECA3 for various conformation traits, including withers height, and contribute to deciphering causal mutations for body size in horses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Paula Reich
- Department of Animal Sciences, Georg-August-University Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.
- Center for Integrated Breeding Research (CiBreed), Georg-August-University Göttingen, 37075, Göttingen, Germany.
| | - Sandra Möller
- Department of Animal Sciences, Georg-August-University Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Kathrin F Stock
- IT Solutions for Animal Production (vit), 27283, Verden, Germany
| | - Wietje Nolte
- Saxon State Office for Environment, Agriculture and Geology, 01468, Moritzburg, Germany
| | | | - Reinhard Reents
- IT Solutions for Animal Production (vit), 27283, Verden, Germany
| | - Ernst Kalm
- Institute of Animal Breeding and Husbandry, Kiel University, 24098, Kiel, Germany
| | - Christa Kühn
- Institute of Genome Biology, Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), 18196, Dummerstorf, Germany
- Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock, 18059, Rostock, Germany
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute, 17493, Greifswald - Riems Island, Germany
| | - Georg Thaller
- Institute of Animal Breeding and Husbandry, Kiel University, 24098, Kiel, Germany
| | - Clemens Falker-Gieske
- Department of Animal Sciences, Georg-August-University Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
- Center for Integrated Breeding Research (CiBreed), Georg-August-University Göttingen, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Jens Tetens
- Department of Animal Sciences, Georg-August-University Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
- Center for Integrated Breeding Research (CiBreed), Georg-August-University Göttingen, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Thompson MA, McCann BE, Rhen T, Simmons R. Population genomics provide insight into ancestral relationships and diversity of the feral horses of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11197. [PMID: 38571790 PMCID: PMC10985374 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2023] [Revised: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP) manages a herd of feral horses (Equus caballus) which was present on the landscape prior to the establishment of the park. The population presents a unique scenario in that it has experienced fairly intensive and well-documented management since the park's establishment, including herd size reductions, intentional introduction of diversity, and subsequent attempts to remove introduced lineages. This provides an interesting case study on the genetic effects of diverse evolutionary forces on an isolated feral population. To explore the effects of these forces and clarify the relationship of this feral herd with other horses, we used genome-wide markers to examine the population structure of a combined dataset containing common established breeds. Using the Illumina Equine 70k BeadChip, we sampled SNPs across the genome for 118 TRNP horses and evaluated the inbreeding coefficient f and runs of homozygosity (RoH). To identify breed relationships, we compared 23 representative TRNP samples with 792 horses from 35 different breeds using genomic population structure analyses. Mean f of TRNP horses was 0.180, while the mean f for all other breeds in the dataset was 0.116 (SD 0.079). RoH analysis indicates that the TRNP population has experienced recent inbreeding in a timeframe consistent with their management. With Bayesian clustering, PCA, and maximum likelihood phylogeny, TRNP horses show genetic differentiation from other breeds, likely due to isolation, historical population bottlenecks, and genetic drift. However, maximum likelihood phylogeny places them with moderate confidence (76.8%) among draft breeds, which is consistent with the known history of breeds used on early North Dakota ranches and stallions subsequently introduced to the park herd. These findings will help resolve speculation about the origins of the herd and inform management decisions for the TRNP herd.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Melissa A. Thompson
- Department of BiologyUniversity of North DakotaGrand ForksNorth DakotaUSA
- Theodore Roosevelt National ParkNational Park ServiceMedoraNorth DakotaUSA
| | - Blake E. McCann
- Theodore Roosevelt National ParkNational Park ServiceMedoraNorth DakotaUSA
| | - Turk Rhen
- Department of BiologyUniversity of North DakotaGrand ForksNorth DakotaUSA
| | - Rebecca Simmons
- Department of BiologyUniversity of North DakotaGrand ForksNorth DakotaUSA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Bastos MS, Solar Diaz IDP, Alves JS, de Oliveira LSM, de Araújo de Oliveira CA, de Godói FN, de Camargo GMF, Costa RB. Genomic association using principal components of morphometric traits in horses: identification of genes related to bone growth. Anim Biotechnol 2023; 34:4921-4926. [PMID: 37184429 DOI: 10.1080/10495398.2023.2209795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
The measurement of morphometric traits in horses is important for determining breed qualification and is one of the main selection criteria for the species. The development of an index (HPC) that consists of principal components weighted by additive genetic values allows to explore the most relevant relationships using a reduced number of variables that explain the greatest amount of variation in the data. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) using HPC are a relatively new approach that permits to identify regions related to a set of traits. The aim of this study was to perform GWAS using HPC for 15 linear measurements as the explanatory variable in order to identify associated genomic regions and to elucidate the biological mechanisms linked to this index in Campolina horses. For GWAS, weighted single-step GBLUP was applied to HPC. The eight genomic windows that explained the highest proportion of additive genetic variance were identified. The sum of the additive variance explained by the eight windows was 95.89%. Genes involved in bone and cartilage development were identified (SPRY2, COL9A2, MIR30C, HEYL, BMP8B, LTBP1, FAM98A, and CRIM1). They represent potential positional candidates for the HPC of the linear measurements evaluated. The HPC is an efficient alternative to reduce the 15 usually measured traits in Campolina horses. Moreover, candidate genes inserted in region that explained high additive variance of the HPC were identified and might be fine-mapped for searching putative mutation/markers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marisa Silva Bastos
- Escola de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA), Salvador, Brazil
| | | | - Jackeline Santos Alves
- Escola de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA), Salvador, Brazil
| | | | | | | | | | - Raphael Bermal Costa
- Escola de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA), Salvador, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Santos WB, Pereira CB, Maiorano AM, Arce CDS, Baldassini WA, Pereira GL, Chardulo LAL, Neto ORM, Oliveira HN, Curi RA. Genomic inbreeding estimation, runs of homozygosity, and heterozygosity-enriched regions uncover signals of selection in the Quarter Horse racing line. J Anim Breed Genet 2023; 140:583-595. [PMID: 37282810 DOI: 10.1111/jbg.12812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Revised: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 05/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
With the advent of genomics, significant progress has been made in the genetic improvement of livestock species, particularly through increased accuracy in predicting breeding values for selecting superior animals and the possibility of performing a high-resolution genetic scan throughout the genome of an individual. The main objectives of this study were to estimate the individual genomic inbreeding coefficient based on runs of homozygosity (FROH ), to identify and characterize runs of homozygosity and heterozygosity (ROH and ROHet, respectively; length and distribution) throughout the genome, and to map selection signatures in relevant chromosomal regions in the Quarter Horse racing line. A total of 336 animals registered with the Brazilian Association of Quarter Horse Breeders (ABQM) were genotyped. One hundred and twelve animals were genotyped using the Equine SNP50 BeadChip (Illumina, USA), with 54,602 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs; 54K). The remaining 224 samples were genotyped using the Equine SNP70 BeadChip (Illumina, USA) with 65,157 SNPs (65K). To ensure data quality, we excluded animals with a call rate below 0.9. We also excluded SNPs located on non-autosomal chromosomes, as well as those with a call rate below 0.9 or a p-value below 1 × 10-5 for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The results indicate moderate to high genomic inbreeding, with 46,594 ROH and 16,101 ROHet detected. In total, 30 and 14 candidate genes overlap with ROH and ROHet regions, respectively. The ROH islands showed genes linked to crucial biological processes, such as cell differentiation (CTBP1, WNT5B, and TMEM120B), regulation of glucose metabolic process (MAEA and NKX1-1), heme transport (PGRMC2), and negative regulation of calcium ion import (VDAC1). In ROHet, the islands showed genes related to respiratory capacity (OR7D19, OR7D4G, OR7D4E, and OR7D4J) and muscle repair (EGFR and BCL9). These findings could aid in selecting animals with greater regenerative capacity and developing treatments for muscle disorders in the QH breed. This study serves as a foundation for future research on equine breeds. It can contribute to developing reproductive strategies in animal breeding programs to improve and preserve the Quarter Horse breed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wellington B Santos
- Department of Animal Science, São Paulo State University, Jaboticabal, Brazil
| | - Camila B Pereira
- Department of Breeding and Animal Nutrition, São Paulo State University, Botucatu, Brazil
| | - Amanda M Maiorano
- Department of Animal Science, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
| | | | - Welder A Baldassini
- Department of Breeding and Animal Nutrition, São Paulo State University, Botucatu, Brazil
| | - Guilherme L Pereira
- Department of Breeding and Animal Nutrition, São Paulo State University, Botucatu, Brazil
| | - Luis Artur L Chardulo
- Department of Breeding and Animal Nutrition, São Paulo State University, Botucatu, Brazil
| | - Otávio R M Neto
- Department of Breeding and Animal Nutrition, São Paulo State University, Botucatu, Brazil
| | - Henrique N Oliveira
- Department of Animal Science, São Paulo State University, Jaboticabal, Brazil
| | - Rogério A Curi
- Department of Breeding and Animal Nutrition, São Paulo State University, Botucatu, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Saif R, Mahmood T, Zia S, Henkel J, Ejaz A. Genomic selection pressure discovery using site-frequency spectrum and reduced local variability statistics in Pakistani Dera-Din-Panah goat. Trop Anim Health Prod 2023; 55:331. [PMID: 37750990 DOI: 10.1007/s11250-023-03758-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Population geneticists have long sought to comprehend various selection traces accumulated in the goat genome due to natural or human driven artificial selection through breeding practices, which led the wild animals to domestication, so understanding evolutionary process may helpful to utilize the full genetic potential of goat genome. METHODS AND RESULTS As a step forward to pinpoint the selection signals in Pakistani Dera-Din-Panah (DDP) goat, whole-genome pooled sequencing (n = 12) was performed, and 618,236,192 clean paired-end reads were mapped against ARS1 reference goat assembly. Five different selection signature statistics were applied using four site-frequency spectrum (SFS) methods (Tajima's D ([Formula: see text]), Fay and Wu's H ([Formula: see text]), Zeng's E ([Formula: see text]), [Formula: see text]) and one reduced local variability approach named pooled heterozygosity ([Formula: see text]). The under-selection regions were annotated with significant threshold values of [Formula: see text]≥4.7, [Formula: see text]≥6, [Formula: see text]≥2.5, Pool-HMM ≥ 12, and [Formula: see text]≥5 that resulted in accumulative 364 candidate gene hits. The highest genomic selection signals were observed on Chr. 4, 6, 10, 12, 15, 16, 18, 20, and 27 and harbor ADAMTS6, CWC27, RELN, MYCBP2, FGF14, STIM1, CFAP74, GNB1, CALML6, TMEM52, FAM149A, NADK, MMP23B, OPN3, FH, MFHAS1, KLKB1, RRM1, KMO, SPEF2, F11, KIT, KMO, ERI1, ATP8B4, and RHOG genes. Next, the validation of our captured genomic hits was also performed by more than one applied statistics which harbor meat production, immunity, and reproduction associated genes to strengthen our hypothesis of under-selection traits in this Pakistani goat breed. Furthermore, common candidate genes captured by more than one statistical method were subjected to gene ontology and KEGG pathway analysis to get insights of particular biological processes associated with this goat breed. CONCLUSION Current perception of genomic architecture of DDP goat provides a better understanding to improve its genetic potential and other economically important traits of medium to large body size, milk, and fiber production by updating the genomic insight driven breeding strategies to boost the livestock and agriculture-based economy of the country.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rashid Saif
- Department of Biotechnology, Qarshi University, Lahore, Pakistan.
- Decode Genomics, Punjab University Employees Housing Scheme, Lahore, Pakistan.
| | - Tania Mahmood
- Decode Genomics, Punjab University Employees Housing Scheme, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Saeeda Zia
- Department of Sciences and Humanities, National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Jan Henkel
- MGZ-Medical Genetics Center, Munich, Germany
| | - Aniqa Ejaz
- Decode Genomics, Punjab University Employees Housing Scheme, Lahore, Pakistan
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Lindsay-McGee V, Sanchez-Molano E, Banos G, Clark EL, Piercy RJ, Psifidi A. Genetic characterisation of the Connemara pony and the Warmblood horse using a within-breed clustering approach. Genet Sel Evol 2023; 55:60. [PMID: 37592264 PMCID: PMC10436415 DOI: 10.1186/s12711-023-00827-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Connemara pony (CP) is an Irish breed that has experienced varied selection by breeders over the last fifty years, with objectives ranging from the traditional hardy pony to an agile athlete. We compared these ponies with well-studied Warmblood (WB) horses, which are also selectively bred for athletic performance but with a much larger census population. Using genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and whole-genome sequencing data from 116 WB (94 UK WB and 22 European WB) and 36 CP (33 UK CP and 3 US CP), we studied the genomic diversity, inbreeding and population structure of these breeds. RESULTS The k-means clustering approach divided both the CP and WB populations into four genetic groups, among which the CP genetic group 1 (C1) associated with non-registered CP, C4 with US CP, WB genetic group 1 (W1) with Holsteiners, and W3 with Anglo European and British WB. Maximum and mean linkage disequilibrium (LD) varied significantly between the two breeds (mean from 0.077 to 0.130 for CP and from 0.016 to 0.370 for WB), but the rate of LD decay was generally slower in CP than WB. The LD block size distribution peaked at 225 kb for all genetic groups, with most of the LD blocks not exceeding 1 Mb. The top 0.5% harmonic mean pairwise fixation index (FST) values identified ontology terms related to cancer risk when the four CP genetic groups were compared. The four CP genetic groups were less inbred than the WB genetic groups, but C2, C3 and C4 had a lower proportion of shorter runs of homozygosity (ROH) (74 to 76% < 4 Mb) than the four WB genetic groups (80 to 85% < 4 Mb), indicating more recent inbreeding. The CP and WB genetic groups had a similar ratio of effective number of breeders (Neb) to effective population size (Ne). CONCLUSIONS Distinct genetic groups of individuals were revealed within each breed, and in WB these genetic groups reflected population substructure better than studbook or country of origin. Ontology terms associated with immune and inflammatory responses were identified from the signatures of selection between CP genetic groups, and while CP were less inbred than WB, the evidence pointed to a greater degree of recent inbreeding. The ratio of Neb to Ne was similar in CP and WB, indicating the influence of popular sires is similar in CP and WB.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Lindsay-McGee
- Royal Veterinary College, London, UK
- Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | | | - Emily L Clark
- The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Genome-Wide Genetic Structure of Henan Indigenous Chicken Breeds. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13040753. [PMID: 36830540 PMCID: PMC9952073 DOI: 10.3390/ani13040753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2023] [Revised: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
There are five indigenous chicken breeds in Henan Province, China. These breeds have their own unique phenotypic characteristics in terms of morphology, behavior, skin and feather color, and productive performance, but their genetic basis is not well understood. Therefore, we analyzed the genetic structure, genomic diversity, and migration history of Henan indigenous chicken populations and the selection signals and genes responsible for Henan gamecock unique phenotypes using whole genome resequencing. The results indicate that Henan native chickens clustered most closely with the chicken populations in neighboring provinces. Compared to other breeds, Henan gamecock's inbreeding and selection intensity were more stringent. TreeMix analysis revealed the gene flow from southern chicken breeds into the Zhengyang sanhuang chicken and from the Xichuan black-bone chicken into the Gushi chicken. Selective sweep analysis identified several genes and biological processes/pathways that were related to body size, head control, muscle development, reproduction, and aggression control. Additionally, we confirmed the association between genotypes of SNPs in the strong selective gene LCORL and body size and muscle development in the Gushi-Anka F2 resource population. These findings made it easier to understand the traits of the germplasm and the potential for using the Henan indigenous chicken.
Collapse
|
9
|
Assessment and Distribution of Runs of Homozygosity in Horse Breeds Representing Different Utility Types. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12233293. [PMID: 36496815 PMCID: PMC9736150 DOI: 10.3390/ani12233293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study reports runs of homozygosity (ROH) distribution in the genomes of six horse breeds (571 horses in total) representing three horse types (primitive, light, and draft horses) based on the 65k Equine BeadChip assay. Of major interest was the length, quantity, and frequency of ROH characteristics, as well as differences between horse breeds and types. Noticeable differences in the number, length and distribution of ROH between breeds were observed, as well as in genomic inbreeding coefficients. We also identified regions of the genome characterized by high ROH coverage, known as ROH islands, which may be signals of recent selection events. Eight to fourteen ROH islands were identified per breed, which spanned multiple genes. Many were involved in important horse breed characteristics, including WFIKNN2, CACNA1G, STXBP4, NOG, FAM184B, QDPR, LCORL, and the zinc finger protein family. Regions of the genome with zero ROH occurrences were also of major interest in specific populations. Depending on the breed, we detected between 2 to 57 no-ROH regions and identified 27 genes in these regions that were common for five breeds. These genes were involved in, e.g., muscle contractility (CACNA1A) and muscle development (miR-23, miR-24, miR-27). To sum up, the obtained results can be furthered analyzed in the topic of identification of markers unique for specific horse breed characteristics.
Collapse
|
10
|
Rzabayev TS, Assanbayev TS, Rzabayev S, Bazargaliyev A, Rzabayev KS. Linebreeding as a system of stock breeding to improve the productive qualities of horses of the Kushum breed. Reprod Domest Anim 2022; 57:1584-1592. [PMID: 36004555 DOI: 10.1111/rda.14235] [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: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Possessing high meat and dairy productivity, and good reproductive and adaptive qualities to year-round grazing, the Kushum breed plays an exceptional role in the improvement of productive qualities in horse herding in Kazakhstan and the former Soviet republics. The aim of the study was to develop breeding methods for creating new highly productive breeding lines for the Kushum breed horses. The leading method was linebreeding, which is based on the systematic use of remarkable animals, the offspring of which will accumulate and develop all the desired qualities and traits. The practical significance of the study lies in the fact that new highly productive breeding lines of the Kushum horse have been created. On this basis, a new intra-breed type of horses with increased live weight, high productivity, and adaptive qualities for winter-grazing in the Republic of Kazakhstan was created. The results of the study were introduced in farms engaged in breeding Kushum horses. Highly productive stallions of the Kushum breed of new genotypes are sold in horse breeding farms of the republic. These studies are used in the development of a comprehensive plan for selection and breeding work and a scientifically grounded system for conducting productive horse breeding in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the creation of new highly productive breeding lines of stallions of the Kushum breed Krepysh and Grom, as well as in substantiating the creation of the Samotsvet line with high adaptive qualities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tolybek S Rzabayev
- Department of Horse Breeding, LLP "Aktobe Agricultural Experimental Station", 030014, 1 Mira Str., Kenes Nokin, Republic of Kazakhstan
| | - Tolegen Sh Assanbayev
- Department of Zootechnology, Toraighyrov University, 140008, 64 Lomov Str, Pavlodar, Republic of Kazakhstan
| | - Serikbay Rzabayev
- Department of Horse Breeding, LLP "Aktobe Agricultural Experimental Station", 030014, 1 Mira Str., Kenes Nokin, Republic of Kazakhstan
| | - Alibek Bazargaliyev
- Department of Horse Breeding, Republican Chamber of Local Breeds of Horses for Meat and Dairy Production, 030014, 1 Mira Str., Kenes Nokin, Republic of Kazakhstan
| | - Kalybek S Rzabayev
- Department of Horse Breeding, LLP "Aktobe Agricultural Experimental Station", 030014, 1 Mira Str., Kenes Nokin, Republic of Kazakhstan
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Salek Ardestani S, Zandi MB, Vahedi SM, Janssens S. Population structure and genomic footprints of selection in five major Iranian horse breeds. Anim Genet 2022; 53:627-639. [PMID: 35919961 DOI: 10.1111/age.13243] [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: 03/03/2022] [Revised: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The genetic structure and characteristics of Iranian native breeds are yet to be comprehensibly investigated and studied. Therefore, we employed genomic information of 364 Iranian native horses representing the Asil (n = 109), Caspian (n = 40), Dareshuri (n = 44), Kurdish (n = 95), and Turkoman (n = 76) breeds to reveal the genetic structure and characteristics. For these and 19 other horse breeds, principal component analysis, Bayesian model-based, Neighbor-Net, and bootstrap-based TreeMix approaches were applied to investigate and compare their genetic structure. Additionally, three haplotype-based methods including haplotype homozygosity pooled, integrated haplotype score, and number of segregating sites by length were applied to trace genomic footprints of selection of Asil, Caspian, Dareshuri, Kurdish, and Turkoman groups. Then, the Mahalanobis distance based on the negative-log10 rank-based P-values was estimated based on the haplotype homozygosity pooled, integrated haplotype score, and number of segregating sites by length values. Asil, Caspian, Dareshuri, Kurdish, and Turkoman can be categorized into five different genetic clusters. Based on the top 1% of Mahalanobis distance based on the negative-log10 rank-based P-values of SNPs, we identified 24 SNPs formerly reported to be associated with different traits and >100 genes undergoing selection pressures in Asil, Caspian, Dareshuri, Kurdish, and Turkoman. The detected QTL undergoing selection pressures were associated with withers height, equine metabolic syndrome, overall body size, insect bite hypersensitivity, guttural pouch tympany, white markings, Rhodococcus equi infection, jumping test score, alternate gaits, and body weight traits. Our findings will aid to have a better perspective of the genetic characteristics and population structure of Asil, Caspian, Dareshuri, Kurdish, and Turkoman horses as Iranian native horse breeds.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Seyed Milad Vahedi
- Department of Animal Science and Aquaculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Steven Janssens
- Department Biosystems, Center Animal Breeding and Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Momen M, Brounts SH, Binversie EE, Sample SJ, Rosa GJM, Davis BW, Muir P. Selection signature analyses and genome-wide association reveal genomic hotspot regions that reflect differences between breeds of horse with contrasting risk of degenerative suspensory ligament desmitis. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2022; 12:6648349. [PMID: 35866615 PMCID: PMC9526059 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkac179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Degenerative suspensory ligament desmitis is a progressive idiopathic condition that leads to scarring and rupture of suspensory ligament fibers in multiple limbs in horses. The prevalence of degenerative suspensory ligament desmitis is breed related. Risk is high in the Peruvian Horse, whereas pony and draft breeds have low breed risk. Degenerative suspensory ligament desmitis occurs in families of Peruvian Horses, but its genetic architecture has not been definitively determined. We investigated contrasts between breeds with differing risk of degenerative suspensory ligament desmitis and identified associated risk variants and candidate genes. We analyzed 670k single nucleotide polymorphisms from 10 breeds, each of which was assigned one of the four breed degenerative suspensory ligament desmitis risk categories: control (Belgian, Icelandic Horse, Shetland Pony, and Welsh Pony), low risk (Lusitano, Arabian), medium risk (Standardbred, Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse), and high risk (Peruvian Horse). Single nucleotide polymorphisms were used for genome-wide association and selection signature analysis using breed-assigned risk levels. We found that the Peruvian Horse is a population with low effective population size and our breed contrasts suggest that degenerative suspensory ligament desmitis is a polygenic disease. Variant frequency exhibited signatures of positive selection across degenerative suspensory ligament desmitis breed risk groups on chromosomes 7, 18, and 23. Our results suggest degenerative suspensory ligament desmitis breed risk is associated with disturbances to suspensory ligament homeostasis where matrix responses to mechanical loading are perturbed through disturbances to aging in tendon (PIN1), mechanotransduction (KANK1, KANK2, JUNB, SEMA7A), collagen synthesis (COL4A1, COL5A2, COL5A3, COL6A5), matrix responses to hypoxia (PRDX2), lipid metabolism (LDLR, VLDLR), and BMP signaling (GREM2). Our results do not suggest that suspensory ligament proteoglycan turnover is a primary factor in disease pathogenesis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mehdi Momen
- Department of Surgical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Sabrina H Brounts
- Department of Surgical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Emily E Binversie
- Department of Surgical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Susannah J Sample
- Department of Surgical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Guilherme J M Rosa
- Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Brian W Davis
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Peter Muir
- Corresponding author: Department of Surgical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Seeber PA, Epp LS. Environmental
DNA
and metagenomics of terrestrial mammals as keystone taxa of recent and past ecosystems. Mamm Rev 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/mam.12302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Peter A. Seeber
- Limnological Institute University of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
| | - Laura S. Epp
- Limnological Institute University of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Colpitts J, McLoughlin PD, Poissant J. Runs of homozygosity in Sable Island feral horses reveal the genomic consequences of inbreeding and divergence from domestic breeds. BMC Genomics 2022; 23:501. [PMID: 35820826 PMCID: PMC9275264 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-022-08729-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Understanding inbreeding and its impact on fitness and evolutionary potential is fundamental to species conservation and agriculture. Long stretches of homozygous genotypes, known as runs of homozygosity (ROH), result from inbreeding and their number and length can provide useful population-level information on inbreeding characteristics and locations of signatures of selection. However, the utility of ROH for conservation is limited for natural populations where baseline data and genomic tools are lacking. Comparing ROH metrics in recently feral vs. domestic populations of well understood species like the horse could provide information on the genetic health of those populations and offer insight into how such metrics compare between managed and unmanaged populations. Here we characterized ROH, inbreeding coefficients, and ROH islands in a feral horse population from Sable Island, Canada, using ~41 000 SNPs and contrasted results with those from 33 domestic breeds to assess the impacts of isolation on ROH abundance, length, distribution, and ROH islands. RESULTS ROH number, length, and ROH-based inbreeding coefficients (FROH) in Sable Island horses were generally greater than in domestic breeds. Short runs, which typically coalesce many generations prior, were more abundant than long runs in all populations, but run length distributions indicated more recent population bottlenecks in Sable Island horses. Nine ROH islands were detected in Sable Island horses, exhibiting very little overlap with those found in domestic breeds. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis for Sable Island ROH islands revealed enrichment for genes associated with 3 clusters of biological pathways largely associated with metabolism and immune function. CONCLUSIONS This study indicates that Sable Island horses tend to be more inbred than their domestic counterparts and that most of this inbreeding is due to historical bottlenecks and founder effects rather than recent mating between close relatives. Unique ROH islands in the Sable Island population suggest adaptation to local selective pressures and/or strong genetic drift and highlight the value of this population as a reservoir of equine genetic variation. This research illustrates how ROH analyses can be applied to gain insights into the population history, genetic health, and divergence of wild or feral populations of conservation concern.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Julie Colpitts
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan, Canada.
| | | | - Jocelyn Poissant
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Hitchhiking Mapping of Candidate Regions Associated with Fat Deposition in Iranian Thin and Fat Tail Sheep Breeds Suggests New Insights into Molecular Aspects of Fat Tail Selection. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12111423. [PMID: 35681887 PMCID: PMC9179914 DOI: 10.3390/ani12111423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2022] [Revised: 05/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Fatness-related traits are economically very important in sheep production and are associated with serious diseases in humans. Using a denser set of SNP markers and a variety of statistical approaches, our results were able to refine the regions associated with fat deposition and to suggest new insights into molecular aspects of fat tail selection. These results may provide a strong foundation for studying the regulation of fat deposition in sheep and do offer hope that the causal mutations and the mode of inheritance of this trait will soon be discovered by further investigation. Abstract The fat tail is a phenotype that divides indigenous Iranian sheep genetic resources into two major groups. The objective of the present study is to refine the map location of candidate regions associated with fat deposition, obtained via two separate whole genome scans contrasting thin and fat tail breeds, and to determine the nature of the selection occurring in these regions using a hitchhiking approach. Zel (thin tail) and Lori-Bakhtiari (fat tail) breed samples that had previously been run on the Illumina Ovine 50 k BeadChip, were genotyped with a denser set of SNPs in the three candidate regions using a Sequenom Mass ARRAY platform. Statistical tests were then performed using different and complementary methods based on either site frequency (FST and Median homozygosity) or haplotype (iHS and XP-EHH). The results from candidate regions on chromosome 5 and X revealed clear evidence of selection with the derived haplotypes that was consistent with selection to near fixation for the haplotypes affecting fat tail size in the fat tail breed. An analysis of the candidate region on chromosome 7 indicated that selection differentiated the beneficial alleles between breeds and homozygosity has increased in the thin tail breed which also had the ancestral haplotype. These results enabled us to confirm the signature of selection in these regions and refine the critical intervals from 113 kb, 201 kb, and 2831 kb to 28 kb, 142 kb, and 1006 kb on chromosome 5, 7, and X respectively. These regions contain several genes associated with fat metabolism or developmental processes consisting of TCF7 and PPP2CA (OAR5), PTGDR and NID2 (OAR7), AR, EBP, CACNA1F, HSD17B10,SLC35A2, BMP15, WDR13, and RBM3 (OAR X), and each of which could potentially be the actual target of selection. The study of core haplotypes alleles in our regions of interest also supported the hypothesis that the first domesticated sheep were thin tailed, and that fat tail animals were developed later. Overall, our results provide a comprehensive assessment of how and where selection has affected the patterns of variation in candidate regions associated with fat deposition in thin and fat tail sheep breeds.
Collapse
|
16
|
Genetic Differentiation among Livestock Breeds—Values for Fst. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12091115. [PMID: 35565543 PMCID: PMC9103131 DOI: 10.3390/ani12091115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Revised: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary The degree of relationship among livestock breeds can be quantified by the Fst statistic, which measures the extent of genetic differentiation between them. An Fst value of 0.1 has often been taken as indicating that two breeds are indeed genetically distinct, but this concept has not been evaluated critically. Here, Fst values have been collated for the six major livestock species: cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, horses, and chickens. These values are remarkably variable both within and between species, demonstrating that Fst > 0.1 is not a reliable criterion for breed distinctiveness. However, the large body of Fst data accumulated in the last 20–30 years represents an untapped database that could contribute to the development of interdisciplinary research involving livestock breeds. Abstract (1) Background: The Fst statistic is widely used to characterize between-breed relationships. Fst = 0.1 has frequently been taken as indicating genetic distinctiveness between breeds. This study investigates whether this is justified. (2) Methods: A database was created of 35,080 breed pairs and their corresponding Fst values, deduced from microsatellite and SNP studies covering cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, horses, and chickens. Overall, 6560 (19%) of breed pairs were between breeds located in the same country, 7395 (21%) between breeds of different countries within the same region, 20,563 (59%) between breeds located far apart, and 562 (1%) between a breed and the supposed wild ancestor of the species. (3) Results: General values for between-breed Fst were as follows, cattle: microsatellite 0.06–0.12, SNP 0.08–0.15; sheep: microsatellite 0.06–0.10, SNP 0.06–0.17; horses: microsatellite 0.04–0.11, SNP 0.08–0.12; goats: microsatellite 0.04–0.14, SNP 0.08–0.16; pigs: microsatellite 0.06–0.27, SNP 0.15–0.22; chickens: microsatellite 0.05–0.28, SNP 0.08–0.26. (4) Conclusions: (1) Large amounts of Fst data are available for a substantial proportion of the world’s livestock breeds, (2) the value for between-breed Fst of 0.1 is not appropriate owing to its considerable variability, and (3) accumulated Fst data may have value for interdisciplinary research.
Collapse
|
17
|
Nazari F, Seyedabadi HR, Noshary A, Emamjomeh-Kashan N, Banabazi MH. A genome-wide scan for signatures of selection in Kurdish horse breed. J Equine Vet Sci 2022; 113:103916. [PMID: 35218903 DOI: 10.1016/j.jevs.2022.103916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2021] [Revised: 02/20/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The genetic diversity and genomic regions being under putative natural selection in Kurdish horse population were studied. The samples from 72 horses were genotyped by using GGP Equine 70K SNP arrays. The Ne Slope (NeS) analyses revealed that a sharp decline in Ne has probably occurred around four generations ago, and high frequency of ROH with 2-4 Mbp in length suggested that the inbreeding has probably occurred around 20 generations ago. The effective population size (Ne) was 104 horses up to three generations ago and the average inbreeding (FROH) was 0.047(±0.045). Using de-correlated composite of multiple selection signals (DCMS) and runs of homozygosity (ROH) analyses the genomic regions being under putative selection were detected. By using DCMS, a total of 148 significant SNP (FDR < 0.05) were identified, 40% of which were located on ECA9, where the greatest peak was observed. This genomic region harbors several known QTL which are associated with withers height (body size). Also significant genomic regions (FDR<0.05), harboring QTL associated with insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH), hair density and coat texture, alternate gaits, guttural pouch tympany and temperament were identified. By using outputs of ROH analyses, two hotspot regions (i.e. 30% of individuals was considered as threshold), were identified on ECA7 (50.11-54.36 Mbp) and ECA11 (26.10-29.07 Mbp) harboring QTL associated with withers height, alternate gait and IBH. In summary, the genomic regions being under putative natural selection which harbors known QTL associated with body size and IBH, among others, were introduced. Nevertheless, additional functional and comparative studies are necessary to corroborate their effect on the observed genetic and phenotypic diversity of the Kurdish horses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Faezeh Nazari
- Department of Animal Science, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hamid-Reza Seyedabadi
- Animal Science Research Institute of Iran (ASRI), Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran.
| | - Alireza Noshary
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Karaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran
| | - Nasser Emamjomeh-Kashan
- Department of Animal Science, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohamad-Hosein Banabazi
- Animal Science Research Institute of Iran (ASRI), Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran; Department of animal breeding and genetics (HGEN), Centre for Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science (VHC), Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Uppsala 75007, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
de Faria DA, do Prado Paim T, Dos Santos CA, Paiva SR, Nogueira MB, McManus C. Selection signatures for heat tolerance in Brazilian horse breeds. Mol Genet Genomics 2022; 297:449-462. [PMID: 35150300 DOI: 10.1007/s00438-022-01862-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Since domestication, horse breeds have adapted to their environments and differentiated from one another. This paper uses two methods to detect selection signatures in 23 horse breeds, eight of which are Brazilian (610 animals), both cold-blooded and warm-blooded, from temperate and tropical regions. These animals were genotyped using the GGP Equine BeadChip and we analysed the data by Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The samples were separated into groups based on their geographical area of origin and PCA results studied. The genomic regions under selection were detected by hapFLK and PCAdapt methodologies, identifying six regions under selection with at least one Brazilian horse breed. These regions contain genes associated with heat tolerance, skin colour, body size, energy production/metabolism, genes involved in protein degradation/turnover/DNA repair, genes reducing the impact of oxidative stress/cellular repair, and transcriptional regulation. This work confirmed LCORL and NCAPG gene regions in previous studies associated with body size on Equine Chromosome Autosome 3 (ECA3). On the same ECA3, a region implicating genes linked to coat colour was identified, also previously related to heat stress. Regions with genes coding heat shock proteins were found on ECA1 and 2, and many candidate genes for oxidation-reduction which are a natural response to heat stress. However, a larger sample size and whole-genome SNPs are needed to understand better and identify new candidate regions as well as their functional relation with heat tolerance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Danielle Assis de Faria
- Faculdade de Agronomia e Veterinária, Instituto Central de Ciências, Campus Darcy Ribeiro, Universidade de Brasília, Asa Norte, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Tiago do Prado Paim
- Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia Goiano, Rodovia Sul Goiana, Km 01, Zona Rural, Rio Verde, GO, 75901-970, Brazil
| | - Camila Alves Dos Santos
- Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia Goiano, Rodovia Sul Goiana, Km 01, Zona Rural, Rio Verde, GO, 75901-970, Brazil
| | - Samuel Rezende Paiva
- Embrapa Recursos Genéticos e Biotecnologia, Final W5 Norte, Brasília, DF, 70770-917, Brasil
| | - Marcelo Bchara Nogueira
- Faculdade de Agronomia e Veterinária, Instituto Central de Ciências, Campus Darcy Ribeiro, Universidade de Brasília, Asa Norte, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Concepta McManus
- Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas, Instituto de Biologia, Campus Darcy Ribeiro, Universidade de Brasília, Asa Norte, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil.
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Lovász L, Fages A, Amrhein V. Konik, Tarpan, European wild horse: An origin story with conservation implications. Glob Ecol Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
|
20
|
Systematic Analysis of Breed, Methodological, and Geographical Impact on Equine Sperm Progressive Motility. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11113088. [PMID: 34827820 PMCID: PMC8614490 DOI: 10.3390/ani11113088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Revised: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Semen quality is an important indicator of reproductive health and fertility. With adverse temporal trends in human semen quality over the past 50 years paralleled in male animals, there is increasing concern for the causes and implications of perturbed male reproductive health. The evaluation of equine progressive motility (PM), a parameter closely associated with fertility, provides information on the fertilising capacity of equine ejaculate and current reproductive health of the equine stallion. Using systematic analysis, recent trends in equine PM were determined from 696 estimates from 280 individual studies. Temporal trends indicate equine PM has not significantly changed between the years 1990 and 2018. Significant breed, methodological, and geographical variations observed in equine PM may considerably influence actual and reported stallion fertility potential. Information on stallion PM meaningfully contributes to the wider literature on semen quality and provides avenues for future stallion fertility research. This systematic analysis presents the wider challenges associated with semen quality assessment, particularly within the equine sector, and provides recommendations to promote consistency across industry and research. Abstract Over the past five decades, there has been increasing evidence to indicate global declines in human semen quality. Parallel adverse trends measured in male animals indicate a potential environmental aetiology. This study evaluated the progressive motility (PM) of stallion ejaculate through a systematic review and meta-analysis. A total of 696 estimates of equine PM from 280 studies, which collected semen samples between the years 1990 and 2018, were collated for meta-analysis. The method of motility analysis, breed, season of collection, and geographical location were extracted. Simple linear regression determined temporal trends in stallion PM. Studies using microscopy estimated PM to be significantly greater compared to computer-automated methods (p ≤ 0.001). For Arabian breeds, PM was consistently higher than other breeds. Over time, there was a significant decline in PM for studies from Europe (n = 267) but a significant increase for studies from North America (n = 259). Temporal trends indicate the fertilising capacity of equine ejaculate has remained consistently high in the last three decades. That being so, variations observed suggest methodological, geographical, and individual stallion differences may significantly influence actual and reported stallion fertility potential.
Collapse
|
21
|
Gurgul A, Jasielczuk I, Miksza-Cybulska A, Kawęcka A, Szmatoła T, Krupiński J. Evaluation of genetic differentiation and genome-wide selection signatures in Polish local sheep breeds. Livest Sci 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.livsci.2021.104635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
|
22
|
Cieslak J, Brooks SA, Wodas L, Mantaj W, Borowska A, Sliwowska JH, Ziarniak K, Mackowski M. Genetic Background of the Polish Primitive Horse (Konik) Coat Color Variation-New Insight into Dun Dilution Phenotypic Effect. J Hered 2021; 112:436-442. [PMID: 34432873 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esab034] [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: 04/14/2021] [Revised: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Only the blue dun coat color, produced by the action of the dun allele on the background of a black base coat, is officially permitted in the Polish primitive horse (PPH, Konik) breed, yet the population is not visually homogenous and various coat color shades occur. Herein, the molecular background of PPH coat color was studied based on genotyping of known causative variants in equine coat color-related genes (ASIP, MC1R, TBX3, SLC36A1, SLC45A2, PMEL17, and RALY). Additionally, screening for the new polymorphisms was conducted for the ASIP gene coding sequence and the TBX3 1.6-kb insert (associated with the dun dilution). We did not observe the champagne, silver, or cream color dilution variants in the PPH breed. A significant association (P < 0.01) was recorded for the genotype in TBX3 gene 1.6 kb in/del and the degree of dun coat dilution, demonstrating that the dominant action of the dun mutation is not fully penetrant. In addition to the effect of the 1.6 kb in/del zygosity, variants within the TBX3 insert were significantly associated with PPH coat color variability (P < 0.01), suggesting the presence of an additional allele at this locus. Finally, we identified a high frequency (35%) of genetically bay dun-colored PPH individuals that are officially recorded as blue (black base coat) duns. We propose that the difficulty in distinguishing these 2 phenotypes visually is due to an independent locus upstream of the ASIP gene, which was recently described as darkening the typical bay pigmentation shade.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jakub Cieslak
- Horse Breeding Unit, Department of Genetics and Animal Breeding, Poznan University of Life Sciences, Wolynska 33, 60-637 Poznan,Poland
| | - Samantha Ann Brooks
- Department of Animal Sciences, UF Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-0910, USA
| | - Lukasz Wodas
- Horse Breeding Unit, Department of Genetics and Animal Breeding, Poznan University of Life Sciences, Wolynska 33, 60-637 Poznan,Poland
| | - Weronika Mantaj
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Department of Zoology, Poznan University of Life Sciences, 60-625 Poznan, Poland (Sliwowska and Ziarniak)
| | - Alicja Borowska
- Horse Breeding Unit, Department of Genetics and Animal Breeding, Poznan University of Life Sciences, Wolynska 33, 60-637 Poznan,Poland
| | - Joanna Helena Sliwowska
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Department of Zoology, Poznan University of Life Sciences, 60-625 Poznan, Poland (Sliwowska and Ziarniak)
| | - Kamil Ziarniak
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Department of Zoology, Poznan University of Life Sciences, 60-625 Poznan, Poland (Sliwowska and Ziarniak)
| | - Mariusz Mackowski
- Horse Breeding Unit, Department of Genetics and Animal Breeding, Poznan University of Life Sciences, Wolynska 33, 60-637 Poznan,Poland.,Horse Genetic Markers Laboratory, Poznan University of Life Sciences, 60-637 Poznan, Poland (Mackowski)
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Orbán L, Shen X, Phua N, Varga L. Toward Genome-Based Selection in Asian Seabass: What Can We Learn From Other Food Fishes and Farm Animals? Front Genet 2021; 12:506754. [PMID: 33968125 PMCID: PMC8097054 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.506754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2019] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Due to the steadily increasing need for seafood and the plateauing output of fisheries, more fish need to be produced by aquaculture production. In parallel with the improvement of farming methods, elite food fish lines with superior traits for production must be generated by selection programs that utilize cutting-edge tools of genomics. The purpose of this review is to provide a historical overview and status report of a selection program performed on a catadromous predator, the Asian seabass (Lates calcarifer, Bloch 1790) that can change its sex during its lifetime. We describe the practices of wet lab, farm and lab in detail by focusing onto the foundations and achievements of the program. In addition to the approaches used for selection, our review also provides an inventory of genetic/genomic platforms and technologies developed to (i) provide current and future support for the selection process; and (ii) improve our understanding of the biology of the species. Approaches used for the improvement of terrestrial farm animals are used as examples and references, as those processes are far ahead of the ones used in aquaculture and thus they might help those working on fish to select the best possible options and avoid potential pitfalls.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- László Orbán
- Reproductive Genomics Group, Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, Singapore, Singapore.,Frontline Fish Genomics Research Group, Department of Applied Fish Biology, Institute of Aquaculture and Environmental Safety, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Keszthely, Hungary
| | - Xueyan Shen
- Reproductive Genomics Group, Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, Singapore, Singapore.,Tropical Futures Institute, James Cook University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Norman Phua
- Reproductive Genomics Group, Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, Singapore, Singapore
| | - László Varga
- Institute of Genetics and Biotechnology, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Gödöllõ, Hungary.,Institute for Farm Animal Gene Conservation, National Centre for Biodiversity and Gene Conservation, Gödöllõ, Hungary
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Polak G, Gurgul A, Jasielczuk I, Szmatoła T, Krupiński J, Bugno-Poniewierska M. Suitability of Pedigree Information and Genomic Methods for Analyzing Inbreeding of Polish Cold-Blooded Horses Covered by Conservation Programs. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12030429. [PMID: 33802830 PMCID: PMC8002693 DOI: 10.3390/genes12030429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Revised: 02/21/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Traditionally, pedigree-based relationship coefficients were used to manage inbreeding and control inbreeding depression that occurs within populations. The extensive incorporation of genomic data in livestock breeding creates the opportunity to develop and implement methods to manage populations at the genomic level. Consequently, the realized proportion of the genome that two individuals share can be more accurately estimated instead of using pedigree information to estimate the expected proportion of shared alleles. To make use of this improvement, in this study we evaluated the genomic inbreeding measures in the Polish conserved cold-blooded horse population and compared the data with the traditional measures of inbreeding. Additionally, an ancestry fractions/proportions from Admixture software were tested as an estimate of lineage (ancestry coefficient) used for horses qualifying for the conservation program. The highest correlation of pedigree-based (FPED) and genomic inbreeding estimates was found for FROH (runs of homozygosity-based F coefficient) and FUNI (F coefficient based on the correlation between uniting gametes). FROH correlation with FPED tended to increase as the number of generations registered as pedigree increased. While lineage and gene contributions (Q) from Admixture software correlated, they showed poor direct compliance; hence, Q-value cannot be recommended as the estimate of pedigree-based lineage. All these findings suggest that the methods of genomics should be considered as an alternative or support in the analysis of population structure in conservative breeding that can help control inbreeding in rare horse populations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Grażyna Polak
- Department of Horse Breeding, National Research Institute of Animal Production, Krakowska 1, 32-083 Balice, Poland;
- Office of the Director for Scientific Affairs, National Research Institute of Animal Production, Krakowska 1, 32-083 Balice, Poland
- Correspondence:
| | - Artur Gurgul
- Center for Experimental and Innovative Medicine, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Rędzina 1c, 30-248 Kraków, Poland; (A.G.); (I.J.); (T.S.)
| | - Igor Jasielczuk
- Center for Experimental and Innovative Medicine, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Rędzina 1c, 30-248 Kraków, Poland; (A.G.); (I.J.); (T.S.)
| | - Tomasz Szmatoła
- Center for Experimental and Innovative Medicine, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Rędzina 1c, 30-248 Kraków, Poland; (A.G.); (I.J.); (T.S.)
| | - Jędrzej Krupiński
- Department of Horse Breeding, National Research Institute of Animal Production, Krakowska 1, 32-083 Balice, Poland;
| | - Monika Bugno-Poniewierska
- Department of Animal Reproduction, Anatomy and Genomics, University of Agriculture in Kraków, al. Mickiewicza 24/28, 30-059 Kraków, Poland;
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Laseca N, Anaya G, Peña Z, Pirosanto Y, Molina A, Demyda Peyrás S. Impaired Reproductive Function in Equines: From Genetics to Genomics. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:393. [PMID: 33546520 PMCID: PMC7913728 DOI: 10.3390/ani11020393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2021] [Revised: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 01/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Fertility is one of the key factors in the economic and productive success of the equine industry. Despite this, studies on the genetic causes affecting reproductive performance are scarce, especially in mares, where the genetic architecture of the reproductive traits is extremely complex. Today, with the increasing availability of new genomic methodologies for this species, we are presented with an interesting opportunity to understand the genetic basis of equine reproductive disorders. These include, among others, novel techniques for detecting chromosomal abnormalities, whose association with infertility in horses was established over 50 years ago; new sequencing technologies permitting an accurate detection of point mutations influencing fertility, as well as the study of inbreeding and molecular homozygosity, which has been widely suggested as one of the main causes of low reproductive performance in horses. Finally, over the last few years, reproductive performance has also been associated with copy number variants and candidate genes detected by genome-wide association studies on fertility traits. However, such studies are still scarce, probably because they depend on the existence of large and accurate phenotypic datasets of reproductive and/or fertility traits, which are still difficult to obtain in equines.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nora Laseca
- Departamento de genética, Universidad de Córdoba, Campus de Rabanales Ctra, Madrid-Cádiz, km 396, 14071 Córdoba, Spain; (N.L.); (G.A.); (Z.P.); (A.M.)
| | - Gabriel Anaya
- Departamento de genética, Universidad de Córdoba, Campus de Rabanales Ctra, Madrid-Cádiz, km 396, 14071 Córdoba, Spain; (N.L.); (G.A.); (Z.P.); (A.M.)
| | - Zahira Peña
- Departamento de genética, Universidad de Córdoba, Campus de Rabanales Ctra, Madrid-Cádiz, km 396, 14071 Córdoba, Spain; (N.L.); (G.A.); (Z.P.); (A.M.)
| | - Yamila Pirosanto
- Departamento de Producción Animal, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata 1900, Argentina;
- Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET), CCT-La Plata, La Plata 1900, Argentina
| | - Antonio Molina
- Departamento de genética, Universidad de Córdoba, Campus de Rabanales Ctra, Madrid-Cádiz, km 396, 14071 Córdoba, Spain; (N.L.); (G.A.); (Z.P.); (A.M.)
| | - Sebastián Demyda Peyrás
- Departamento de Producción Animal, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata 1900, Argentina;
- Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET), CCT-La Plata, La Plata 1900, Argentina
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Salek Ardestani S, Aminafshar M, Zandi Baghche Maryam MB, Banabazi MH, Sargolzaei M, Miar Y. A genome-wide signatures of selection study of Welsh ponies and draft horses revealed five genes associated with horse type variation. GENE REPORTS 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.genrep.2020.100833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
|
27
|
Kvist L, Honka J, Niskanen M, Liedes O, Aspi J. Selection in the Finnhorse, a native all-around horse breed. J Anim Breed Genet 2020; 138:188-203. [PMID: 33226152 PMCID: PMC7894145 DOI: 10.1111/jbg.12524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2020] [Revised: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 11/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Selection by breeders modifies the morphology, behaviour and performance of domesticated species. Here, we examined signs of selection in Finnhorse, the only native horse breed in Finland. We first searched divergent genomic regions between Finnhorses and other breeds, as well as between different breeding sections of the Finnhorse with data from Illumina Equine SNP70 BeadChip, and then studied several of the detected regions in more detail. We found altogether 35 common outlier SNPs between Finnhorses and other breeds using two different selection tests. Many of the SNPs were located close to genes affecting coat colour, performance, size, sugar metabolism, immune response and olfaction. We selected genes affecting coat colour (KIT, MITF, PMEL), performance (MSTN) and locomotion (DMRT3) for a more detailed examination. In addition, we looked for, and found, associations with height at withers and SNPs located close to gene LCORL. Among the four breeding sections of Finnhorses (harness trotters, riding horses, draught horses and pony‐sized horses), a single SNP located close to the DMRT3 gene was significantly differentiated and only between harness trotters and pony‐sized horses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Kvist
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Johanna Honka
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Markku Niskanen
- Research Unit of History, Culture and Communications, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Oona Liedes
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Jouni Aspi
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Nguyen TB, Paul RC, Okuda Y, LE TNA, Pham PTK, Kaissar KJ, Kazhmurat A, Bibigul S, Bakhtin M, Kazymbet P, Maratbek SZ, Meldebekov A, Nishibori M, Ibi T, Tsuji T, Kunieda T. Genetic characterization of Kushum horses in Kazakhstan based on haplotypes of mtDNA and Y chromosome, and genes associated with important traits of the horses. J Equine Sci 2020; 31:35-43. [PMID: 33061782 PMCID: PMC7538259 DOI: 10.1294/jes.31.35] [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: 06/26/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The Kushum is a relatively new breed of horses in Kazakhstan that was established in the
middle of the 20th century through a cross between mares of Kazakhstan local horses and
stallions of Thoroughbred, Trotter, and Russian Don breeds to supply military horses. To
reveal the genetic characteristics of this breed, we investigated haplotypes of
mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and single-nucleotide polymorphisms of the Y chromosome, as well
as genotypes of five functional genes associated with coat color, body composition, and
locomotion traits. We detected 10 mtDNA haplotypes that fell into 8 of the 17 major
haplogroups of horse mtDNA, indicating a unique haplotype composition with high genetic
diversity. We also found two Y-chromosomal haplotypes in Kushum horses, which likely
originated from Trotter and/or Don breeds. The findings regarding the mtDNA and
Y-chromosomal haplotypes are concordant with the documented maternal and paternal origins
of the Kushum horses. The allele frequencies of ASIP, MC1R, and MATP associated with coat
color were consistent with the coat color variations of Kushum horses. The allele
frequencies of MSTN associated with endurance performance and those of DMRT3 associated
with gait suggested that the observed allele frequencies of these genes were the result of
selective breeding for these traits. As a result of this study, we were able to obtain
useful information for a better understanding of the origin and breeding history of the
Kushum horse breed using molecular markers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Trung B Nguyen
- Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University, Okayama 700-8530, Japan.,An Giang University, Vietnam National University, An Giang, Vietnam
| | - Ripon C Paul
- Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University, Okayama 700-8530, Japan.,Patuakhali Science and Technology University, Barishal, Bangladesh
| | - Yu Okuda
- Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University, Okayama 700-8530, Japan.,Okayama University of Science, Okayama 700-0005, Japan
| | - Thu N A LE
- Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University, Okayama 700-8530, Japan.,University of Agriculture & Forestry, Hue University, Hue, Vietnam
| | - Phuong T K Pham
- An Giang University, Vietnam National University, An Giang, Vietnam
| | - Kushaliye J Kaissar
- Zhangir Khan West Kazakhstan Agrarian-Technical University, Uralsk, Kazakhstan
| | | | | | - Meirat Bakhtin
- Radiobiological Research Institute, JSC Astana Medical University, Astana, Kazakhstan
| | - Polat Kazymbet
- Radiobiological Research Institute, JSC Astana Medical University, Astana, Kazakhstan
| | | | | | - Masahide Nishibori
- Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University, Okayama 700-8530, Japan
| | - Takayuki Ibi
- Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University, Okayama 700-8530, Japan
| | - Takehito Tsuji
- Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University, Okayama 700-8530, Japan
| | - Tetsuo Kunieda
- Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University, Okayama 700-8530, Japan.,Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University, Okayama 700-8530, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Fornal A, Kowalska K, Zabek T, Piestrzynska-Kajtoch A, Musiał AD, Ropka-Molik K. Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Polish Konik Horse Based on Individuals from All the Male Founder Lines and Microsatellite Markers. Animals (Basel) 2020; 10:E1569. [PMID: 32899310 PMCID: PMC7552212 DOI: 10.3390/ani10091569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2020] [Revised: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 08/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The Polish Konik horse is a primitive native breed included in the genetic resource conservation program in Poland. After World War II, intensive breeding work began, aimed at rebuilding this breed. Now, the whole Polish Konik population is represented by six male founder lines (Wicek, Myszak, Glejt I, Goraj, Chochlik and Liliput). Individuals representing all six paternal lineages were selected based on their breeding documentation. We performed a fragment analysis with 17 microsatellite markers (STRs) recommended by the International Society for Animal Genetics (ISAG). The genetic diversity and structure within the paternal lineages and the whole of the studied group were investigated. The average allelic richness was 6.497 for the whole studied group. The fixation index (FST; measure of population differentiation) was low (about 3%), the mean inbreeding coefficient (FIT) was low and close to 0, and the mean inbreeding index value (FIS) was negative. The mean expected heterozygosity was established at 0.7046 and was lower than the observed heterozygosity. The power of discrimination and power of exclusion were 99.9999%. The cumulative parentage exclusion probability equaled 99.9269% when one parental genotype was known and 99.9996% with both parents' genotypic information was available. About 3% of the genetic variation was caused by differences in the breed origin and about 97% was attributed to differences among individuals. Our analysis revealed that there has been no inbreeding in the Polish Konik breed for the studied population. The genetic diversity was high, and its parameters were similar to those calculated for native breeds from other countries reported in the literature. However, due to the small number of breed founders and paternal lineages with unknown representation, the population's genetic diversity and structure should be monitored regularly.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Agnieszka Fornal
- Department of Animal Molecular Biology, National Research Institute of Animal Production, 32-083 Krakow, Poland; (K.K.); (T.Z.); (A.P.-K.); (A.D.M.); (K.R.-M.)
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
30
|
Jasielczuk I, Gurgul A, Szmatoła T, Semik-Gurgul E, Pawlina-Tyszko K, Stefaniuk-Szmukier M, Polak G, Tomczyk-Wrona I, Bugno-Poniewierska M. Linkage disequilibrium, haplotype blocks and historical effective population size in Arabian horses and selected Polish native horse breeds. Livest Sci 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.livsci.2020.104095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
|
31
|
Divergent selection signatures of phenotypic and production traits among conserved and commercial cattle breeds. Livest Sci 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.livsci.2020.104174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
|
32
|
Ekici S, Ozmen O. Affecting Lipid Metabolism Salivary MicroRNAs Expressions in Arabian Racehorses Before and After the Race. J Equine Vet Sci 2020; 93:103218. [PMID: 32972679 DOI: 10.1016/j.jevs.2020.103218] [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: 06/14/2020] [Revised: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 07/29/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
The active roles of microribonucleic acids (miRNAs) in gene regulation have made miRNAs a key point for the scientific world in the study of physiological processes. Although saliva includes the largest number of miRNAs, there is no miRNA study in saliva on horses has been found. Our study is the first study on miRNAs isolation from saliva in horses. In the present study, saliva was studied in Arabian racehorses to better understand the molecular mechanisms of expression levels that are effective in lipid metabolism of miRNAs and their target genes during the race. Identification of lipid metabolism of miRNAs and their target genes is an opportunity to provide information about biomarkers in Arabian racehorses on energy supply for race performance. Arabian racehorses have low glycogen content and high triglyceride storage capability, thanks to the high amount of oxidative type I fiber in their muscle tissue. Therefore, Arabian racehorses can provide higher levels of energy using more fat. The aim of this study is to determine the prerace and postrace expression levels of eight miRNAs in saliva that are known to affect lipid metabolism in Arabian racehorses. The expression level of eca-miR-33a was found to be statistically significant (P < .05). Target genes of eca-miR-33a have been copredicted as ABCA1, CROT, ABHD2, and SATB2, with three validated databases and other analysis tools. In conclusion, these findings revealed that both eca-miR-33a and its target genes could be potential core genes that play important roles in lipid metabolism in Arabian racehorses to provide energy during the race.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Seda Ekici
- Veterinary Control Central Research Institute, Ankara, Turkey.
| | - Ozge Ozmen
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Fontanel M, Todd E, Drabbe A, Ropka-Molik K, Stefaniuk-Szmukier M, Myćka G, Velie BD. Variation in the SLC16A1 and the ACOX1 Genes Is Associated with Gallop Racing Performance in Arabian Horses. J Equine Vet Sci 2020; 93:103202. [PMID: 32972674 DOI: 10.1016/j.jevs.2020.103202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2020] [Revised: 07/26/2020] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Arabian horses are not only one of the most ancient breeds in the world, but they are also one of the most appreciated racehorse breeds today. The breed generates attention for their phenomenal endurance ability and their capability for gallop racing. Consequently, genetic testing to select the best individuals is attracting ever increasing interests from the Arabian industry. As such, the aim of this study was to further investigate associations between performance and variation at candidate genes suspected of having a key role in Arabian gallop racing performance. Generalized linear models were fit to test associations between eight candidate gene variants and a variety of gallop racing performance traits in a sample of Arabian racehorses (n = 287). Two genes, solute carrier family 16 member 1 (SLC16A1) and acyl-CoA oxidase 1 (ACOX1), were significantly associated with multiple gallop racing performance traits, whereas another gene, actinin alpha 3 (ACTN3) was associated with best race distance. Previously established associations between these three genes and equine metabolism strongly suggest further investigation of these genes, and their relationship with Arabian horse performance is warranted.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marie Fontanel
- Equine Genetics & Genomics Group, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia; Agrosup Dijon, Institut national supérieur des sciences agronomiques et de l'alimentation et de l'environnement, Dijon Cedex, France
| | - Evelyn Todd
- Equine Genetics & Genomics Group, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Alize Drabbe
- Equine Genetics & Genomics Group, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Katarzyna Ropka-Molik
- Department of Animal Molecular Biology, National Research Institute of Animal Production, Balice, Poland
| | - Monika Stefaniuk-Szmukier
- Department of Animal Reproduction, Anatomy and Genomics, University of Agriculture in Kraków, Kraków, Poland
| | - Grzegorz Myćka
- University of Agriculture in Krakow, Faculty of Biotechnology and Horticulture, Kraków, Poland
| | - Brandon D Velie
- Equine Genetics & Genomics Group, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia.
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Liu LL, Fang C, Ma HY, Yu X, Lv SP, Liu WJ. Development and validation of KASP markers for the milk traits genes in Kazakh horse. JOURNAL OF APPLIED ANIMAL RESEARCH 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/09712119.2020.1782218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ling-Ling Liu
- Department Animal science, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, People’s Republic of China
| | - Chao Fang
- Department Animal science, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, People’s Republic of China
| | - Hai-Yu Ma
- Department Animal science, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xi Yu
- Department Animal science, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, People’s Republic of China
| | - Shi-Peng Lv
- Department Animal science, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, People’s Republic of China
| | - Wu-Jun Liu
- Department Animal science, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, People’s Republic of China
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Salek Ardestani S, Aminafshar M, Zandi Baghche Maryam MB, Banabazi MH, Sargolzaei M, Miar Y. Signatures of selection analysis using whole-genome sequence data reveals novel candidate genes for pony and light horse types. Genome 2020; 63:387-396. [PMID: 32407640 DOI: 10.1139/gen-2020-0001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Natural selection and domestication have shaped modern horse populations, resulting in a vast range of phenotypically diverse breeds. Horse breeds are classified into three types (pony, light, and draft) generally based on their body type. Understanding the genetic basis of horse type variation and selective pressures related to the evolutionary trend can be particularly important for current selection strategies. Whole-genome sequences were generated for 14 pony and 32 light horses to investigate the genetic signatures of selection of the horse type in pony and light horses. In the overlapping extremes of the fixation index and nucleotide diversity results, we found novel genomic signatures of selective sweeps near key genes previously implicated in body measurements including C4ORF33, CRB1, CPN1, FAM13A, and FGF12 that may influence variation in pony and light horse types. This study contributes to a better understanding of the genetic background of differences between pony and light horse types.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Siavash Salek Ardestani
- Department of Animal Science, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran 1477893855, Iran
| | - Mehdi Aminafshar
- Department of Animal Science, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran 1477893855, Iran
| | | | - Mohammad Hossein Banabazi
- Department of Biotechnology, Animal Science Research Institute of Iran, Agricultural Research, Education & Extension Organization, Karaj 3146618361, Iran
| | - Mehdi Sargolzaei
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON NIG 2W1, Canada.,Select Sires Inc., Plain City, OH 43064, USA
| | - Younes Miar
- Department of Animal Science and Aquaculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, NS B2N 5E3, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Genetic Differentiation of the Two Types of Polish Cold-blooded Horses Included in the National Conservation Program. Animals (Basel) 2020; 10:ani10030542. [PMID: 32214005 PMCID: PMC7143816 DOI: 10.3390/ani10030542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2020] [Revised: 03/19/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The current role of the horse as a companion animal resulted in a decrease of interest in breeding and usage of draft horses. This meant that the population of cold-blooded horses in Poland has been dramatically reduced during the last decades. To avoid impoverishment of the gene pool of the local horse population, a conservation program was established which involves draft horses and other local horse breeds. The draft horses bred in Poland can be subdivided in a few horse types of which the most widespread and consolidated are Sztumski and Sokólski horses. These two subpopulations are phenotypically diversified, however, the overall level of their genetic differentiation seems to be relatively low and not precisely determined, especially with the use of molecular markers. In reference to this, in this study we used Illumina genotyping arrays to describe in detail the genetic differentiation of these two cold-blooded horse populations. We describe the genetic distance between them, as well as within-population variation, admixture patterns, and level of relatedness within populations. We also made an attempt to detect genome regions divergently selected between those horses by the detection of diversifying selection signals. The results of this study provide initial evidence supporting breeding decisions that were made during conservation breeding program design and answer questions raised by the breeders of Sokólski and Sztumski horses concerning the level of their genetic variation and differentiation.
Collapse
|
37
|
Boccardo A, Marelli SP, Pravettoni D, Bagnato A, Busca GA, Strillacci MG. The German Shorthair Pointer Dog Breed ( Canis lupus familiaris): Genomic Inbreeding and Variability. Animals (Basel) 2020; 10:ani10030498. [PMID: 32192001 PMCID: PMC7143860 DOI: 10.3390/ani10030498] [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: 02/24/2020] [Revised: 03/11/2020] [Accepted: 03/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The German Shorthaired Pointer (GSHP) is a breed worldwide known for its hunting versatility. Dogs of this breed are appreciated as valuable companions, effective trackers, field trailers and obedience athletes. The aim of the present work is to describe the genomic architecture of the GSHP breed and to analyze inbreeding levels under a genomic and a genealogic perspective. A total of 34 samples were collected (24 Italian, 10 USA), and the genomic and pedigree coefficients of inbreeding have been calculated. A total of 3183 runs of homozygosity (ROH) across all 34 dogs have been identified. The minimum and maximum number of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) defining all ROH are 40 and 3060. The mean number of ROH for the sample was 93.6. ROH were found on all chromosomes. A total of 854 SNPs (TOP_SNPs) defined 11 ROH island regions (TOP_ROH), in which some gene already associated with behavioral and morphological canine traits was annotated. The proportion of averaged observed homozygotes estimated on total number of SNPs was 0.70. The genomic inbreeding coefficient based on ROH was 0.17. The mean inbreeding based on genealogical information resulted 0.023. The results describe a low inbred population with quite a good level of genetic variability.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Boccardo
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via dell’Università 6, 26900 Lodi, Italy (S.P.M.); (D.P.)
| | - Stefano Paolo Marelli
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via dell’Università 6, 26900 Lodi, Italy (S.P.M.); (D.P.)
| | - Davide Pravettoni
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via dell’Università 6, 26900 Lodi, Italy (S.P.M.); (D.P.)
| | - Alessandro Bagnato
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via dell’Università 6, 26900 Lodi, Italy (S.P.M.); (D.P.)
| | - Giuseppe Achille Busca
- Centro Clinico-Veterinario e Zootecnico-Sperimentale, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via dell’Università 6, 26900 Lodi, Italy;
| | - Maria Giuseppina Strillacci
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via dell’Università 6, 26900 Lodi, Italy (S.P.M.); (D.P.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-02-50334582
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Martin LM, Johnson PJ, Amorim JR, DeClue AE. Effects of Orally Administered Resveratrol on TNF, IL-1β, Leukocyte Phagocytic Activity and Oxidative Burst Function in Horses: A Prospective, Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Study. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21041453. [PMID: 32093379 PMCID: PMC7073105 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21041453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2019] [Revised: 01/27/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Resveratrol, a phytophenol, is a commonly used equine nutraceutical supplement touted to exert anti-inflammatory effects. The effect of orally administered resveratrol on tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), leukocyte phagocytic activity or oxidative burst function have not been reported in horses. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of a commercially available, orally administered resveratrol product on innate immune functions in healthy adult horses. Whole blood was collected from 12 horses prior to and following 3 weeks of treatment with either the manufacturer’s recommended dose of resveratrol or placebo. Phagocytosis, oxidative burst and pathogen associated molecular pattern (PAMP) motif-stimulated leukocyte production of TNF and IL-1β were compared pre- and post-treatment between treatment groups. Phagocytosis and oxidative burst capacity were evaluated via flow cytometry. Tumor necrosis factor and IL-1β were measured using cytotoxicity and ELISA assays, respectively. There were no significant differences in phagocytosis, oxidative burst or stimulated TNF or IL-1β production between resveratrol and placebo treatment groups. Orally administered resveratrol at a routinely recommended dose for a duration of 3 weeks did not significantly affect phagocytic activity, oxidative burst function or PAMP-stimulated leukocyte cytokine production.
Collapse
|
39
|
Selection in Australian Thoroughbred horses acts on a locus associated with early two-year old speed. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0227212. [PMID: 32049967 PMCID: PMC7015314 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0227212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2019] [Accepted: 12/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Thoroughbred horse racing is a global sport with major hubs in Europe, North America, Australasia and Japan. Regional preferences for certain traits have resulted in phenotypic variation that may result from adaptation to the local racing ecosystem. Here, we test the hypothesis that genes selected for regional phenotypic variation may be identified by analysis of selection signatures in pan-genomic SNP genotype data. Comparing Australian to non-Australian Thoroughbred horses (n = 99), the most highly differentiated loci in a composite selection signals (CSS) analysis were on ECA6 (34.75–34.85 Mb), ECA14 (33.2–33.52 Mb and 35.52–36.94 Mb) and ECA16 (24.28–26.52 Mb) in regions containing candidate genes for exercise adaptations including cardiac function (ARHGAP26, HBEGF, SRA1), synapse development and locomotion (APBB3, ATXN7, CLSTN3), stress response (NR3C1) and the skeletal muscle response to exercise (ARHGAP26, NDUFA2). In a genome-wide association study for field-measured speed in two-year-olds (n = 179) SNPs contained within the single association peak (33.2–35.6 Mb) overlapped with the ECA14 CSS signals and spanned a protocadherin gene cluster. Association tests using higher density SNP genotypes across the ECA14 locus identified a SNP within the PCDHGC5 gene associated with elite racing performance (n = 922). These results indicate that there may be differential selection for racing performance under racing and management conditions that are specific to certain geographic racing regions. In Australia breeders have principally selected horses for favourable genetic variants at loci containing genes that modulate behaviour, locomotion and skeletal muscle physiology that together appear to be contributing to early two-year-old speed.
Collapse
|
40
|
Salek Ardestani S, Aminafshar M, Zandi Baghche Maryam MB, Banabazi MH, Sargolzaei M, Miar Y. Whole-Genome Signatures of Selection in Sport Horses Revealed Selection Footprints Related to Musculoskeletal System Development Processes. Animals (Basel) 2019; 10:ani10010053. [PMID: 31888018 PMCID: PMC7023322 DOI: 10.3390/ani10010053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2019] [Revised: 12/11/2019] [Accepted: 12/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Selective breeding has led to gradual changes at the genome level of horses. Deciphering selective pressure patterns is progressive to understand how breeding strategies have shaped the sport horse genome; although, little is known about the genomic regions under selective pressures in sport horse breeds. The major goal of this study was to shed light on genomic regions and biological pathways under selective pressures in sport horses. In this study, whole-genome sequences of 16 modern sport and 35 non-sport horses were used to investigate the genomic selective signals of sport performance, by employing fixation index, nucleotide diversity, and Tajima's D approaches. A total number of 49 shared genes were identified using these approaches. The functional enrichment analysis for candidate genes revealed novel significant biological processes related to musculoskeletal system development, such as limb development and morphogenesis, having been targeted by selection in sport breeds.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Siavash Salek Ardestani
- Department of Animal Science, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran 1477893855, Iran; (S.S.A.); (M.A.)
| | - Mehdi Aminafshar
- Department of Animal Science, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran 1477893855, Iran; (S.S.A.); (M.A.)
| | | | - Mohammad Hossein Banabazi
- Department of Biotechnology, Animal Science Research Institute of Iran (ASRI), Agricultural Research, Education & Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj 3146618361, Iran;
| | - Mehdi Sargolzaei
- Department of Pathobiology, Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON NIG2W1, Canada;
- Select Sires Inc., Plain City, OH 43064, USA
| | - Younes Miar
- Department of Animal Science and Aquaculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, NS B2N5E3, Canada
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-902-893-6165
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Raudsepp T, Finno CJ, Bellone RR, Petersen JL. Ten years of the horse reference genome: insights into equine biology, domestication and population dynamics in the post-genome era. Anim Genet 2019; 50:569-597. [PMID: 31568563 PMCID: PMC6825885 DOI: 10.1111/age.12857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The horse reference genome from the Thoroughbred mare Twilight has been available for a decade and, together with advances in genomics technologies, has led to unparalleled developments in equine genomics. At the core of this progress is the continuing improvement of the quality, contiguity and completeness of the reference genome, and its functional annotation. Recent achievements include the release of the next version of the reference genome (EquCab3.0) and generation of a reference sequence for the Y chromosome. Horse satellite‐free centromeres provide unique models for mammalian centromere research. Despite extremely low genetic diversity of the Y chromosome, it has been possible to trace patrilines of breeds and pedigrees and show that Y variation was lost in the past approximately 2300 years owing to selective breeding. The high‐quality reference genome has led to the development of three different SNP arrays and WGSs of almost 2000 modern individual horses. The collection of WGS of hundreds of ancient horses is unique and not available for any other domestic species. These tools and resources have led to global population studies dissecting the natural history of the species and genetic makeup and ancestry of modern breeds. Most importantly, the available tools and resources, together with the discovery of functional elements, are dissecting molecular causes of a growing number of Mendelian and complex traits. The improved understanding of molecular underpinnings of various traits continues to benefit the health and performance of the horse whereas also serving as a model for complex disease across species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- T Raudsepp
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Research, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - C J Finno
- Department of Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - R R Bellone
- Department of Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.,School of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary Genetics Laboratory, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - J L Petersen
- Department of Animal Science, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, 68583-0908, USA
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Massacci FR, Clark A, Ruet A, Lansade L, Costa M, Mach N. Inter-breed diversity and temporal dynamics of the faecal microbiota in healthy horses. J Anim Breed Genet 2019; 137:103-120. [PMID: 31523867 DOI: 10.1111/jbg.12441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2019] [Revised: 08/09/2019] [Accepted: 08/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Understanding gut microbiota similarities and differences across breeds in horses has the potential to advance approaches aimed at personalized microbial modifications, particularly those involved in improving sport athletic performance. Here, we explore whether faecal microbiota composition based on faecal 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing varies across six different sport breeds at two time points 8 months apart within a cohort of 189 healthy horses cared for under similar conditions. Lusitano horses presented the smallest and Hanoverians the greatest bacterial diversity. We found subtle but significant differences in β-diversity between Lusitano, Anglo Arabian and the central European breeds, and we reproduced these results across the two time points. Repeat sampling of subjects showed community to be temporally more stable in Lusitano and Anglo Arabian breeds. Additionally, we found that 27 genera significantly varied in abundance across breeds. Overall, 33% of these taxa overlapped with previously identified taxa that were associated with genetic variation in humans or other species. However, a non-significant correlation was observed between microbial composition and the host pedigree-based kinship. Despite a notable variation in the diversity and composition of the faecal microbiota, breed exerted limited effects on the equine faecal microbiota.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Romana Massacci
- UMR 1313, INRA, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, Jouy-en-Josas, France.,Research and Development Department, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Umbria e delle Marche 'Togo Rosati', Perugia, Italy.,Agricultural and Food Sciences Department, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Allison Clark
- Gastroenterology Department, Vall d'Hebron Research Center, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Alice Ruet
- PRC, INRA, CNRS, IFCE, University of Tours, Nouzilly, France
| | - Léa Lansade
- PRC, INRA, CNRS, IFCE, University of Tours, Nouzilly, France
| | - Marcio Costa
- Biomedical Veterinary Sciences Department, University of Montreal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada
| | - Núria Mach
- UMR 1313, INRA, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
The Genetics of Racing Performance in Arabian Horses. Int J Genomics 2019; 2019:9013239. [PMID: 31565654 PMCID: PMC6745119 DOI: 10.1155/2019/9013239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2019] [Revised: 07/12/2019] [Accepted: 08/01/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Arabian horses are commonly believed to be one of the oldest and most influential horse breeds in the world. The high financial benefits obtained from races tend to search for genetic markers strongly correlated with the results achieved. To date, the modern approaches such as transcriptome, miRNAome, and metabolome analyses have been used to investigate the genetic background of racing performance as well as endurance capacity in Arabians. The analysis of polymorphisms at the genome level has also been applied to the detection of genetic variants associated with exercise phenotype in the Arabian breed. The presented review summarizes these findings, with a focus on the genetics underlying flat racing and endurance performance traits in different Arabian horse populations.
Collapse
|
44
|
Population Genetic Analysis of the Estonian Native Horse Suggests Diverse and Distinct Genetics, Ancient Origin and Contribution from Unique Patrilines. Genes (Basel) 2019; 10:genes10080629. [PMID: 31434327 PMCID: PMC6722507 DOI: 10.3390/genes10080629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2019] [Accepted: 08/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The Estonian Native Horse (ENH) is a medium-size pony found mainly in the western islands of Estonia and is well-adapted to the harsh northern climate and poor pastures. The ancestry of the ENH is debated, including alleged claims about direct descendance from the extinct Tarpan. Here we conducted a detailed analysis of the genetic makeup and relationships of the ENH based on the genotypes of 15 autosomal short tandem repeats (STRs), 18 Y chromosomal single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), mitochondrial D-loop sequence and lateral gait allele in DMRT3. The study encompassed 2890 horses of 61 breeds, including 33 ENHs. We show that the expected and observed genetic diversities of the ENH are among the highest within 52 global breeds, and the highest among 8 related Northern European ponies. The genetically closest breeds to the ENH are the Finn Horse, and the geographically more distant primitive Hucul and Konik. ENH matrilines are diverse and relate to draught and Pontic-Caspian breeds. ENH patrilines relate to draught breeds, and to a unique haplogroup not described before. None of the 33 ENHs carried the "gait" mutation, but the mutation was found in 2 Huculs. The study demonstrates that the ENH is a genetically distinct and diverse breed of ancient origin with no notable pressure of selective breeding.
Collapse
|
45
|
Stefaniuk-Szmukier M, Szmatoła T, Łątka J, Długosz B, Ropka-Molik K. The Blood and Muscle Expression Pattern of the Equine TCAP Gene during the Race Track Training of Arabian Horses. Animals (Basel) 2019; 9:E574. [PMID: 31426609 PMCID: PMC6720385 DOI: 10.3390/ani9080574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2019] [Revised: 08/07/2019] [Accepted: 08/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Horse musculature has been shaped through evolution by environmental and human factors, which has resulted in several extraordinary adaptations to physical effort. Skeletal muscle plasticity results from the response to mechanical stimulation causing hypertrophy, where sarcomeres increase the muscle's cross-sectional area under the influence of contractile forces. The aim of the present study was the evaluation of transcript abundance of the telethonin (TCAP) gene, which is a part of the sarcomere macromolecular mechanosensory complex in the gluteus medius muscle, and the whole blood of Arabian horses during flat race training. The analysis, performed by quantitative PCR, showed an increase of TCAP transcripts in skeletal muscle. However, in whole blood, the transcript abundance decreased after the first stage of training and further increased after the second phase. The obtained results indicate a lack of similarity of TCAP gene expression in both tissues.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Monika Stefaniuk-Szmukier
- Department of Animals Reproduction, Anatomy and Genomics, the University of Agriculture in Krakow, Al. Mickiewicza 24/28, 30-159 Kraków, Poland.
| | - Tomasz Szmatoła
- Department of Animal Molecular Biology, National Research Institute of Animal Production, Krakowska 1, 32-083 Balice, Poland
- Centre of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agriculture in Kraków, Al. Mickiewicza 24/28, 30-059 Kraków, Poland
| | - Joanna Łątka
- Department of Animals Reproduction, Anatomy and Genomics, the University of Agriculture in Krakow, Al. Mickiewicza 24/28, 30-159 Kraków, Poland
| | - Bogusława Długosz
- Department of Animals Reproduction, Anatomy and Genomics, the University of Agriculture in Krakow, Al. Mickiewicza 24/28, 30-159 Kraków, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Ropka-Molik
- Department of Animal Molecular Biology, National Research Institute of Animal Production, Krakowska 1, 32-083 Balice, Poland
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
McGivney BA, Hernandez B, Katz LM, MacHugh DE, McGovern SP, Parnell AC, Wiencko HL, Hill EW. A genomic prediction model for racecourse starts in the Thoroughbred horse. Anim Genet 2019; 50:347-357. [PMID: 31257665 DOI: 10.1111/age.12798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Durability traits in Thoroughbred horses are heritable, economically valuable and may affect horse welfare. The aims of this study were to test the hypotheses that (i) durability traits are heritable and (ii) genetic data may be used to predict a horse's potential to have a racecourse start. Heritability for the phenotype 'number of 2- and 3-year-old starts' was estimated to be h m 2 = 0.11 ± 0.02 (n = 4499). A genome-wide association study identified SNP contributions to the trait. The neurotrimin (NTM), opioid-binding protein/cell adhesion molecule like (OPCML) and prolylcarboxypeptidase (PRCP) genes were identified as candidate genes associated with the trait. NTM functions in brain development and has been shown to have been selected during the domestication of the horse. PRCP is an established expression quantitative trait locus involved in the interaction between voluntary exercise and body composition in mice. We hypothesise that variation at these loci contributes to the motivation of the horse to exercise, which may influence its response to the demands of the training and racing environment. A random forest with mixed effects (RFME) model identified a set of SNPs that contributed to 24.7% of the heritable variation in the trait. In an independent validation set (n = 528 horses), the cohort with high genetic potential for a racecourse start had significantly fewer unraced horses (16% unraced) than did low (27% unraced) potential horses and had more favourable race outcomes among those that raced. Therefore, the information from SNPs included in the model may be used to predict horses with a greater chance of a racecourse start.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- B A McGivney
- Plusvital Ltd, The Highline, Dun Laoghaire Industrial Estate, Dun Laoghaire, Dublin, Ireland
| | - B Hernandez
- Prolego Scientific, Nova UCD, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, D04 V1W8, Ireland.,The Irish Longitudinal Study on Aging (TILDA), Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, D02 PN40, Ireland
| | - L M Katz
- UCD School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, D04 V1W8, Ireland
| | - D E MacHugh
- UCD Conway Institute for Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, D04 V1W8, Ireland.,UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, D04 V1W8, Ireland
| | - S P McGovern
- Plusvital Ltd, The Highline, Dun Laoghaire Industrial Estate, Dun Laoghaire, Dublin, Ireland
| | - A C Parnell
- Prolego Scientific, Nova UCD, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, D04 V1W8, Ireland.,School of Mathematics and Statistics, Insight Centre for Data Analytics, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, D04 V1W8, Ireland
| | - H L Wiencko
- Plusvital Ltd, The Highline, Dun Laoghaire Industrial Estate, Dun Laoghaire, Dublin, Ireland
| | - E W Hill
- Plusvital Ltd, The Highline, Dun Laoghaire Industrial Estate, Dun Laoghaire, Dublin, Ireland.,UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, D04 V1W8, Ireland
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Grilz-Seger G, Neuditschko M, Ricard A, Velie B, Lindgren G, Mesarič M, Cotman M, Horna M, Dobretsberger M, Brem G, Druml T. Genome-Wide Homozygosity Patterns and Evidence for Selection in a Set of European and Near Eastern Horse Breeds. Genes (Basel) 2019; 10:genes10070491. [PMID: 31261764 PMCID: PMC6679042 DOI: 10.3390/genes10070491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2019] [Revised: 06/18/2019] [Accepted: 06/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Intensive artificial and natural selection have shaped substantial variation among European horse breeds. Whereas most equine selection signature studies employ divergent genetic population structures in order to derive specific inter-breed targets of selection, we screened a total of 1476 horses originating from 12 breeds for the loss of genetic diversity by runs of homozygosity (ROH) utilizing a 670,000 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping array. Overlapping homozygous regions (ROH islands) indicating signatures of selection were identified by breed and similarities/dissimilarities between populations were evaluated. In the entire dataset, 180 ROH islands were identified, whilst 100 islands were breed specific, all other overlapped in 36 genomic regions with at least one ROH island of another breed. Furthermore, two ROH hot spots were determined at horse chromosome 3 (ECA3) and ECA11. Besides the confirmation of previously documented target genes involved in selection for coat color (MC1R, STX17, ASIP), body size (LCORL/NCAPG, ZFAT, LASP1, HMGA2), racing ability (PPARGC1A), behavioral traits (GRIN2B, NTM/OPCML) and gait patterns (DMRT3), several putative target genes related to embryonic morphogenesis (HOXB), energy metabolism (IGFBP-1, IGFBP-3), hair follicle morphogenesis (KRT25, KRT27, INTU) and autophagy (RALB) were highlighted. Furthermore, genes were pinpointed which might be involved in environmental adaptation of specific habitats (UVSSA, STXBP4, COX11, HLF, MMD).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gertrud Grilz-Seger
- Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Sciences Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Markus Neuditschko
- Agroscope, Swiss National Stud Farm, Les Longs Prés, CH-1580 Avenches, Switzerland.
| | - Anne Ricard
- UMR 1313 Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Domaine de Vilvert, Bat 211, 78352 Jouy-en-Josas, France.
| | - Brandon Velie
- Department of Animal Breeding & Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Ulls väg 26, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden.
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Eastern Ave, 2006 NSW Sydney, Australia.
| | - Gabriella Lindgren
- Department of Animal Breeding & Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Ulls väg 26, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden.
- Livestock Genetics, Department of Biosystems, KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Matjaz Mesarič
- Clinic for Reproduction and Large Animals, University of Ljubljana, Veterinary, Faculty, Cesta v Mestni log 47, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
| | - Marko Cotman
- Institute for Preclinical Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Veterinary Faculty, Gerbičeva 60, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
| | - Michaela Horna
- Department of Animal Husbandry, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Tr. A. Hlinku 2, 949 76 Nitra, Slovakia.
| | - Max Dobretsberger
- Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Sciences Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Gottfried Brem
- Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Sciences Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Thomas Druml
- Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Sciences Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria.
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Selection signatures in four German warmblood horse breeds: Tracing breeding history in the modern sport horse. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0215913. [PMID: 31022261 PMCID: PMC6483353 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0215913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2018] [Accepted: 04/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The study of selection signatures helps to find genomic regions that have been under selective pressure and might host genes or variants that modulate important phenotypes. Such knowledge improves our understanding of how breeding programmes have shaped the genomes of livestock. In this study, 942 stallions were included from four, exemplarily chosen, German warmblood breeds with divergent historical and recent selection focus and different crossbreeding policies: Trakehner (N = 44), Holsteiner (N = 358), Hanoverian (N = 319) and Oldenburger (N = 221). Those breeds are nowadays bred for athletic performance and aptitude for show-jumping, dressage or eventing, with a particular focus of Holsteiner on the first discipline. Blood samples were collected during the health exams of the stallion preselections before licensing and were genotyped with the Illumina EquineSNP50 BeadChip. Autosomal markers were used for a multi-method search for signals of positive selection. Analyses within and across breeds were conducted by using the integrated Haplotype Score (iHS), cross-population Extended Haplotype Homozygosity (xpEHH) and Runs of Homozygosity (ROH). Oldenburger and Hanoverian showed very similar iHS signatures, but breed specificities were detected on multiple chromosomes with the xpEHH. The Trakehner clustered as a distinct group in a principal component analysis and also showed the highest number of ROHs, which reflects their historical bottleneck. Beside breed specific differences, we found shared selection signals in an across breed iHS analysis on chromosomes 1, 4 and 7. After investigation of these iHS signals and shared ROH for potential functional candidate genes and affected pathways including enrichment analyses, we suggest that genes affecting muscle functionality (TPM1, TMOD2-3, MYO5A, MYO5C), energy metabolism and growth (AEBP1, RALGAPA2, IGFBP1, IGFBP3-4), embryonic development (HOXB-complex) and fertility (THEGL, ZPBP1-2, TEX14, ZP1, SUN3 and CFAP61) have been targeted by selection in all breeds. Our findings also indicate selection pressure on KITLG, which is well-documented for influencing pigmentation.
Collapse
|