Microsatellite Diversity and Phylogenetic Relationships among East Eurasian Bos taurus Breeds with an Emphasis on Rare and Ancient Local Cattle

Forest fragmentation causes an isolated population of the golden takin (Budorcas taxicolor bedfordi Thomas, 1911) (Artiodactyla: Bovidae) in the Qinling Mountains (China)

Budorcas taxicolor bedfordi is a rare animal uniquely distributed in the Qinling Mountains (China). Human disturbance and habitat fragmentation have directly affected the survival of B. t. bedfordi. It is urgent to clarify the genetic diversity and genetic structure of the B. t. bedfordi population and implement effective conservation measures. In this study, 20 new polymorphic microsatellite loci were isolated by Illumina sequencing. The genetic diversity and population structure of 124 B. t. bedfordi individuals from three populations (Niubeliang population, Zhouzhi population, and Foping population) were analysed according to these 20 microsatellite loci. Our results indicated that B. t. bedfordi had a low level of genetic variability and that there was inbreeding in the three populations. The population genetic structure analyses showed that the Niubeliang population had a trend of differentiation from other populations. National roads can affect population dispersal, while ecological corridors can promote population gene exchange. None of the three B. t. bedfordi populations experienced bottleneck effects. For conservation management plans, the Zhouzhi population and Foping population should be considered one management unit, and the Niubeliang population should be considered another management unit. We suggest building an ecological corridor to keep the habitat connected and formulating tourism management measures to reduce the influence of human disturbance on B. t. bedfordi.

Genetic diversity analysis of cattle genetic groups of Kerala state using microsatellite data

Cattle belonging to seven different genetic groups in Kerala state, India were chosen for the study to find out the genetic diversity between the groups, which would aid in their sustainable improvement and conservation of native cattle. They included the native groups namely, Vechur, Kasaragod, Vadakara dwarf and Vilwadri, along with three different grades of crossbred cattle, based on milk production. Genomic DNA was isolated from 20 to 30 unrelated animals of each group and a panel of 25 microsatellite markers as suggested by FAO-ISAG, were amplified by multiplex PCR. The PCR amplicons were genotyped and the allelic data analyzed using suitable Bioinformatics softwares. The present study showed that the observed number of alleles was much more than the expected, in all populations. The mean PIC value obtained for the present study was 0.8912 and increased number of private alleles were observed, especially in Vilwadri and Kasaragod groups. Negative value of FIS (-0.055) indicated that the level of inbreeding was less. The FST value was 0.1442 indicating that the populations showed good genetic differentiation. The results of Structure analysis revealed admixture only in Vadakara population. The results obtained from the present study showed that Vilwadri and Kasaragod cattle showed distinct differences from other groups.

Phenotypic plasticity in the monoclonal marbled crayfish is associated with very low genetic diversity but pronounced epigenetic diversity

Clonal organisms are particularly useful to investigate the contribution of epigenetics to phenotypic plasticity, because confounding effects of genetic variation are negligible. In the last decade, the apomictic parthenogenetic marbled crayfish, Procambarus virginalis, has been developed as a model to investigate the relationships between phenotypic plasticity and genetic and epigenetic diversity in detail. This crayfish originated about 30 years ago by autotriploidy from a single slough crayfish Procambarus fallax. As the result of human releases and active spreading, marbled crayfish has established numerous populations in very diverse habitats in 22 countries from the tropics to cold temperate regions. Studies in the laboratory and field revealed considerable plasticity in coloration, spination, morphometric parameters, growth, food preference, population structure, trophic position, and niche width. Illumina and PacBio whole-genome sequencing of marbled crayfish from representatives of 19 populations in Europe and Madagascar demonstrated extremely low genetic diversity within and among populations, indicating that the observed phenotypic diversity and ability to live in strikingly different environments are not due to adaptation by selection on genetic variation. In contrast, considerable differences were found between populations in the DNA methylation patterns of hundreds of genes, suggesting that the environmentally induced phenotypic plasticity is mediated by epigenetic mechanisms and corresponding changes in gene expression. Specific DNA methylation fingerprints persisted in local populations over successive years indicating the existence of epigenetic ecotypes, but there is presently no information as to whether these epigenetic signatures are transgenerationally inherited or established anew in each generation and whether the recorded phenotypic plasticity is adaptive or nonadaptive.

ranchSATdb: A Genome-Wide Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) Markers Database of Livestock Species for Mutant Germplasm Characterization and Improving Farm Animal Health

Microsatellites, also known as simple sequence repeats (SSRs), are polymorphic loci that play an important role in genome research, animal breeding, and disease control. Ranch animals are important components of agricultural landscape. The ranch animal SSR database, ranchSATdb, is a web resource which contains 15,520,263 putative SSR markers. This database provides a comprehensive tool for performing end-to-end marker selection, from SSRs prediction to generating marker primers and their cross-species feasibility, visualization of the resulting markers, and finding similarities between the genomic repeat sequences all in one place without the need to switch between other resources. The user-friendly online interface allows users to browse SSRs by genomic coordinates, repeat motif sequence, chromosome, motif type, motif frequency, and functional annotation. Users may enter their preferred flanking area around the repeat to retrieve the nucleotide sequence, they can investigate SSRs present in the genic or the genes between SSRs, they can generate custom primers, and they can also execute in silico validation of primers using electronic PCR. For customized sequences, an SSR prediction pipeline called miSATminer is also built. New species will be added to this website's database on a regular basis throughout time. To improve animal health via genomic selection, we hope that ranchSATdb will be a useful tool for mapping quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and marker-assisted selection. The web-resource is freely accessible at https://bioinfo.usu.edu/ranchSATdb/.

Research Topics of the Bioinformatics of Gene Regulation

The study of gene expression regulation raises the challenge of developing bioinformatics tools and algorithms, demanding data integration [...].

Genome-wide analysis emancipates genomic diversity and signature of selection in Altay white-headed cattle of Xinjiang, China

Altay white-headed cattle have not received enough attention for several reasons. Due to irrational breeding and selection practices, the number of pure Altay white-headed cattle has decreased significantly and the breed is now on the eve of extinction. The genomic characterization will be a crucial step towards understanding the genetic basis of productivity and adaptability to survival under native Chinese agropastoral systems; nevertheless, no attempt has been made in Altay white-headed cattle. In the current study, we compared the genomes of 20 Altay white-headed cattle to the genomes of 144 individuals in representative breeds. Population genetic diversity revealed that the nucleotide diversity of Altay white-headed cattle was less than that of indicine breeds and comparable to that of Chinese taurus cattle. Using population structure analysis, we also found that Altay white-headed cattle carried the ancestry of the European and East Asian cattle lineage. In addition, we used three different methods (FST, θπ ratio and XP-EHH) to investigate the adaptability and white-headed phenotype of Altay white-headed cattle and compared it with Bohai black cattle. We found EPB41L5, SCG5 and KIT genes on the list of the top one percent genes, these genes might have an association with environmental adaptability and the white-headed phenotype for this breed. Our research reveals the distinctive genomic features of Altay white-headed cattle at the genome-wide level.

Genetic Structure Analysis of 155 Transboundary and Local Populations of Cattle (Bos taurus, Bos indicus and Bos grunniens) Based on STR Markers

Every week, 1-2 breeds of farm animals, including local cattle, disappear in the world. As the keepers of rare allelic variants, native breeds potentially expand the range of genetic solutions to possible problems of the future, which means that the study of the genetic structure of these breeds is an urgent task. Providing nomadic herders with valuable resources necessary for life, domestic yaks have also become an important object of study. In order to determine the population genetic characteristics, and clarify the phylogenetic relationships of modern representatives of 155 cattle populations from different regions of the world, we collected a large set of STR data (10,250 individuals), including unique native cattle, 12 yak populations from Russia, Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan, as well as zebu breeds. Estimation of main population genetic parameters, phylogenetic analysis, principal component analysis and Bayesian cluster analysis allowed us to refine genetic structure and provided insights in relationships of native populations, transboundary breeds and populations of domestic yak. Our results can find practical application in conservation programs of endangered breeds, as well as become the basis for future fundamental research.

Genetic Differentiation among Livestock Breeds-Values for Fst

(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.

[Signatures of selection and candidate genes for adaptation to extreme environmental factors in the genomes of Turano-Mongolian cattle breeds]

Changes in the environment force populations of organisms to adapt to new conditions, either through phenotypic plasticity or through genetic or epigenetic changes. Signatures of selection, such as specific changes in the frequency of alleles and haplotypes, as well as the reduction or increase in genetic diversity, help to identify changes in the cattle genome in response to natural and artificial selection, as well as loci and genetic variants directly affecting adaptive and economically important traits. Advances in genetics and biotechnology enable a rapid transfer of unique genetic variants that have originated in local cattle breeds in the process of adaptation to local environments into the genomes of cosmopolitan high-performance breeds, in order to preserve their outstanding performance in new environments. It is also possible to use genomic selection approach to increase the frequency of already present adaptive alleles in cosmopolitan breeds. The review examines recent work on the origin and evolution of Turano-Mongolian cattle breeds, adaptation of Turano-Mongolian cattle to extreme environments, and summarizes available information on potential candidate genes for climate adaptation of Turano-Mongolian breeds, including cold resistance genes, immune response genes, and high-altitude adaptation genes. The authors conclude that the current literature data do not provide preference to one of the two possible scenarios of Turano-Mongolian breed origins: as a result of the domestication of a wild aurochs at East Asia or as a result of the migration of taurine proto-population from the Middle East. Turano-Mongolian breeds show a high degree of adaptation to extreme climatic conditions (cold, heat, lack of oxygen in the highlands) and parasites (mosquitoes, ticks, bacterial and viral infections). As a result of high-density genotyping and sequencing of genomes and transcriptomes, prospective candidate genes and genetic variants involved in adaptation to environmental factors have recently been identified.