Breed Difference in Water Content of Faeces From Five Breeds of Sheep

Water content of faeces from five breeds was examined (14 weekly observations — eight sheep of each breed). A higher water content was found of faeces from New Zealand Romney Marsh than from their pasture mates of breeds originating from drier areas — Somali, Merino, Karakul; but Nandi originating from a medium to wet area had a similar dry matter content of faeces as the dry area breeds mentioned above. The growth rate in New Zealand Romney Marsh is greater than in the other breeds.     

Variation of BMP3 Contributes to Dog Breed Skull Diversity

Since the beginnings of domestication, the craniofacial architecture of the domestic dog has morphed and radiated to human whims. By beginning to define the genetic underpinnings of breed skull shapes, we can elucidate mechanisms of morphological diversification while presenting a framework for understanding human cephalic disorders. Using intrabreed association mapping with museum specimen measurements, we show that skull shape is regulated by at least five quantitative trait loci (QTLs). Our detailed analysis using whole-genome sequencing uncovers a missense mutation in BMP3. Validation studies in zebrafish show that Bmp3 function in cranial development is ancient. Our study reveals the causal variant for a canine QTL contributing to a major morphologic trait.     

Population Genomics of Sub-Saharan Drosophila melanogaster: African Diversity and Non-African Admixture

Drosophila melanogaster has played a pivotal role in the development of modern population genetics. However, many basic questions regarding the demographic and adaptive history of this species remain unresolved. We report the genome sequencing of 139 wild-derived strains of D. melanogaster, representing 22 population samples from the sub-Saharan ancestral range of this species, along with one European population. Most genomes were sequenced above 25X depth from haploid embryos. Results indicated a pervasive influence of non-African admixture in many African populations, motivating the development and application of a novel admixture detection method. Admixture proportions varied among populations, with greater admixture in urban locations. Admixture levels also varied across the genome, with localized peaks and valleys suggestive of a non-neutral introgression process. Genomes from the same location differed starkly in ancestry, suggesting that isolation mechanisms may exist within African populations. After removing putatively admixed genomic segments, the greatest genetic diversity was observed in southern Africa (e.g. Zambia), while diversity in other populations was largely consistent with a geographic expansion from this potentially ancestral region. The European population showed different levels of diversity reduction on each chromosome arm, and some African populations displayed chromosome arm-specific diversity reductions. Inversions in the European sample were associated with strong elevations in diversity across chromosome arms. Genomic scans were conducted to identify loci that may represent targets of positive selection within an African population, between African populations, and between European and African populations. A disproportionate number of candidate selective sweep regions were located near genes with varied roles in gene regulation. Outliers for Europe-Africa F_ST were found to be enriched in genomic regions of locally elevated cosmopolitan admixture, possibly reflecting a role for some of these loci in driving the introgression of non-African alleles into African populations.     

Genetic Distinctiveness of the Herdwick Sheep Breed and Two Other Locally Adapted Hill Breeds of the UK

There is considerable interest in locally adapted breeds of livestock as reservoirs of genetic diversity that may provide important fitness traits for future use in agriculture. In marginal areas, these animals contribute to food security and extract value from land unsuitable for other systems of farming. In England, close to 50% of the national sheep flock is farmed on grassland designated as disadvantaged areas for agricultural production. Many of these areas are in the uplands, where some native breeds of sheep continue to be commercially farmed only in highly localised geographical regions to which they are adapted. This study focuses on three of these breeds, selected for their adaptation to near identical environments and their geographical concentration in regions close to one another. Our objective has been to use retrotyping, microsatellites and single nucleotide polymorphisms to explore the origins of the breeds and whether, despite their similar adaptations and proximity, they are genetically distinctive. We find the three breeds each have a surprisingly different pattern of retrovirus insertions into their genomes compared with one another and with other UK breeds. Uniquely, there is a high incidence of the R0 retrotype in the Herdwick population, characteristic of a primitive genome found previously in very few breeds worldwide and none in the UK mainland. The Herdwick and Rough Fells carry two rare retroviral insertion events, common only in Texels, suggesting sheep populations in the northern uplands have a historical association with the original pin-tail sheep of Texel Island. Microsatellite data and analyses of SNPs associated with RXFP2 (horn traits) and PRLR (reproductive performance traits) also distinguished the three breeds. Significantly, an SNP linked to TMEM154, a locus controlling susceptibility to infection by Maedi-Visna, indicated that all three native hill breeds have a lower than average risk of infection to the lentivirus.     

Phylogeny of Local Sheep Breeds in East Asia, Focusing on the Bayanbulak Sheep in China and the Sipsu Sheep in Bhutan

The phylogenetic positions of the Bayanbulak sheep in China and the Sipsu sheep in Bhutan in the northern Asian sheep group were determined on the basis of allele frequency data for five informative and polymorphic loci of blood protein and nonproteins, such as transferrin (TF), arylesterase (ES), hemoglobin-β (HB-β), X-protein (XP), and potassium transport (KE), using different electrophoretic and ion-densitometric techniques. Based on Nei’s genetic distance, clustering analysis by the UPGMA method showed that the Bayanbulak sheep is clustered in the northern Asian sheep group. Furthermore, the Bayanbulak sheep belongs to a subgroup containing the Khalkhas and Hu sheep of the Mongolian sheep group, which is distinguished from another subgroup of the small-tailed Han, Tan, Tong, and Wadi sheep. The Bayanbulak sheep was closest to the Hu sheep, despite a morphological difference in the fat deposits. In addition to these findings, the Sipsu sheep was verified to belong to the Baruwal sheep.     

Molecular Diversity of Rumen Methanogens from Sheep in Western Australia

The molecular diversity of rumen methanogens in sheep in Australia was investigated by using individual 16S rRNA gene libraries prepared from the rumen contents obtained from six merino sheep grazing pasture (326 clones), six sheep fed an oaten hay-based diet (275 clones), and five sheep fed a lucerne hay-based diet (132 clones). A total of 733 clones were examined, and the analysis revealed 65 phylotypes whose sequences (1,260 bp) were similar to those of cultivated methanogens belonging to the order Methanobacteriales. Pasture-grazed sheep had more methanogen diversity than sheep fed either the oaten hay or lucerne hay diet. Methanobrevibacter strains SM9, M6, and NT7 accounted for over 90% of the total number of clones identified. M6 was more prevalent in grazing sheep, and SM9, despite being found in 16 of the 17 sheep, was more prevalent in sheep fed the lucerne-based diet. Five new species were identified. Two of these species exhibited very little sequence similarity to any cultivated methanogens and were found eight times in two of the six sheep that were grazing pasture. These unique sequences appear to represent a novel group of rumen archaea that are atypical for the rumen environment.     

我国蒙古羊系统不同生态型绵羊品种遗传多样性及距离隔离机制的研究

以我国主要地方绵羊品种湖羊、同羊、小尾寒羊、滩羊和洼地绵羊为研究对象,检测位于不同染色体的微卫星位点的基因频率分布,进行比较分析.结果表明 1) 就本研究涉及的微卫星标记而言,湖羊处于Hardy-Weinberg极不平衡状态 (P ＜ 0.01),而其余群体包括同羊、小尾寒羊、滩羊和洼地绵羊却处于Hardy-Weinberg平衡 (P ＜ 0.05).2) 就本研究涉及的微卫星标记而言,平均杂合度、多型信息含量和有效等位基因数三个遗传变异指标的方差分析表明不同群体间杂合度、多型信息含量均不存在显著差异 (P ＞ 0.05),有效等位基因数遗传变异指标在、滩羊、湖羊、同羊和洼地羊相互之间以及洼地羊与小尾寒羊之间亦差异不显著(P ＞ 0.05),但是有效等位基因数在前3个群体与后2个群体之间存在显著差异 (0.01 ＜ P ＜ 0.05).5个绵羊群体的变异水平以小尾寒羊最高,其次为洼地绵羊、同羊和滩羊,最低的是湖羊.3) 本研究涉及的我国蒙古羊系统内5个绵羊群体间的系统发生关系不满足距离隔离模式,绵羊群体间的遗传分化关系的远近与其地理分布并未表现出紧密的线性相关.这与5个绵羊起源于不同时期的蒙古羊始祖群体,同时在品种间存在一定程度的基因交流,并在各自特有的生态环境中经历不同程度的自然选择和人为选择品种培育史实相符.     

Genetic Diversity of Protein Markers in Sheep Populations from Ukraine

Based on polymorphism of genes for antigen factors of six blood-group systems and four blood protein loci, genetic structure and the main variation parameters were studied in three sheep breeds and three sheep breed types constituting the basis of purebred sheep resources in Ukraine. Specific features of the distribution of genotypes and alleles of polymorphic loci were determined in each of the studied sheep groups depending on their origin and production type. The molecular–genetic markers used in the analysis of the genetic relationships between the sheep breeds and breed types were shown to objectively reflect their breeding history and evolution. Integrally, each of the studied gene pools had a specific profile of gene frequencies reflecting breeding specificity, breed history, and genetic differentiation of breeds.     

Admixture and Genetic Diversity Distribution Patterns of Non-Recombining Lineages of Native American Ancestry in Colombian Populations

Genetic diversity of present American populations results from very complex demographic events involving different types and degrees of admixture. Through the analysis of lineage markers such as mtDNA and Y chromosome it is possible to recover the original Native American haplotypes, which remained identical since the admixture events due to the absence of recombination. However, the decrease in the effective population sizes and the consequent genetic drift effects suffered by these populations during the European colonization resulted in the loss or under-representation of a substantial fraction of the Native American lineages. In this study, we aim to clarify how the diversity and distribution of uniparental lineages vary with the different demographic characteristics (size, degree of isolation) and the different levels of admixture of extant Native groups in Colombia. We present new data resulting from the analyses of mtDNA whole control region, Y chromosome SNP haplogroups and STR haplotypes, and autosomal ancestry informative insertion-deletion polymorphisms in Colombian individuals from different ethnic and linguistic groups. The results demonstrate that populations presenting a high proportion of non-Native American ancestry have preserved nevertheless a substantial diversity of Native American lineages, for both mtDNA and Y chromosome. We suggest that, by maintaining the effective population sizes high, admixture allowed for a decrease in the effects of genetic drift due to Native population size reduction and thus resulting in an effective preservation of the Native American non-recombining lineages.     

First Records on Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Algerian Peanut (Arachis hypogaea) Using Microsatellite Markers

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L) is one of the wide cultivated plants with a narrow genetic base, hence the interest in prospecting, rescuing, and characterizing germplasm of this species is continuously carried out. In this work, eleven microsatellite markers were used to assess the genetic diversity and population structure of 68 Algerian peanut accessions originated from four geographic regions in the north and south of Algeria. A total of 83 alleles were amplified with a mean number of 7.545 alleles per locus and polymorphic information content (PIC) ranged from 0.625 to 0.874. The observed and expected heterozygosity varied from 0.31 to 1.00 and from 0.61 to 0.84 with a mean of 0.704 and 0.732, respectively. Genetic structure analysis showed a strong population at K?=?2, separating accessions according to their subspecies affiliation (hypogeae ssp. and fastigiata ssp.). It was also able to quantify the genetic correlations between genotypes using principal component analysis (PCA) and the method of groups of unweighted pairings with arithmetic means (UPGMA). Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed high genetic variation within individuals (90.7%) and low genetic differentiation between subspecies (10.3%) and among populations (8.9%) from different geographical origin. Genetic diversity analysis in this study provides useful information for the exploration and utilization of these peanut cultivars.

     

Targeted Sequencing for Studying Economically Useful Traits and Phylogenetic Diversity of Ancient Sheep

Russian Journal of Genetics - Sheep were one of the first animals to be domesticated. The history of sheep domestication and their widespread distribution dates to about ten thousand years ago,...     

Human-Mediated Admixture and Selection Shape the Diversity on the Modern Swine (Sus scrofa) Y Chromosomes

Throughout its distribution across Eurasia, domestic pig (Sus scrofa) populations have acquired differences through natural and artificial selection, and have often interbred. We resequenced 80 Eurasian pigs from nine different Asian and European breeds; we identify 42,288 reliable SNPs on the Y chromosome in a panel of 103 males, among which 96.1% are newly detected. Based on these new data, we elucidate the evolutionary history of pigs through the lens of the Y chromosome. We identify two highly divergent haplogroups: one present only in Asia and one fixed in Europe but present in some Asian populations. Analyzing the European haplotypes present in Asian populations, we find evidence of three independent waves of introgression from Europe to Asia in last 200 years, agreeing well with the literature and historical records. The diverse European lineages were brought in China by humans and left significant imprints not only on the autosomes but also on the Y chromosome of geographically and genetically distinct Chinese pig breeds. We also find a general excess of European ancestry on Y chromosomes relative to autosomes in Chinese pigs, an observation that cannot be explained solely by sex-biased migration and genetic drift. The European Y haplotype is associated with leaner meat production, and we hypothesize that the European Y chromosome increased in frequency in Chinese populations due to artificial selection. We find evidence of Y chromosomal gene flow between Sumatran wild boar and Chinese pigs. Our results demonstrate how human-mediated admixture and selection shaped the distribution of modern swine Y chromosomes.     

多浪羊mtDNA D-loop区遗传多样性及系统发育分析

以多浪羊为研究对象,分析绵羊线粒体D-loop区的遗传多样性,为研究多浪羊的起源和进化历史奠定基础。结果显示,多浪羊线粒体DNA D-loop序列长度为945~1 039 bp,A、T、G和C含量分别为29.4%、27.7%、17.7%和25.1%,其中A+T为57.1%,G+C为42.8%。研究获得了26种单倍型,56个多态位点,其中单一多态位点42个,简约信息位点14个。平均核苷酸差异数k为5.289,核苷酸多样度Pi为0.02 415,核苷酸多样度较低,说明多浪羊的遗传多样性贫乏,应采取重点措施予以保护。另外研究发现多浪羊经历过群体扩张,其母系起源除A、B和C世系外,可能存在D或E世系。     

Genetic Diversity and Divergence among Bighorn Sheep from Reintroduced Herds in Washington and Idaho

Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) populations in the western United States have undergone widespread declines and extirpations since the late nineteenth century as a consequence of introduced diseases, competition with livestock, and unregulated hunting. Washington, Idaho, USA, and British Columbia, Canada were historically thought to be occupied by 2 bighorn lineages or subspecies: Rocky Mountain (O. c. canadensis) and California (O. c. californiana). The putative California lineage was completely extirpated in the United States, and reintroductions to reestablish populations were sourced directly or indirectly from a single region in southern British Columbia. Restoration efforts have attempted to maintain the diversity and divergence of these 2 lineages, sometimes referred to as subspecies although taxonomic classifications have changed over time. In this study we describe genetic variation in a subset of native and reintroduced herds of California and Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep. We examined genetic diversity and divergence between bighorn sheep herds using 15 microsatellite loci, including 4 loci linked to genes involved in immune function. We analyzed 504 samples from reintroduced herds in Washington (n = 10 California herds, n = 4 Rocky Mountain herds) and Idaho (n = 5 California), and source herds in Oregon (n = 1 Rocky Mountain) and British Columbia (n = 5 California, 1 Rocky Mountain). Genetic structure reflected known reintroduction history, and geographic proximity also was associated with decreased genetic divergence. Herds in Washington and Idaho sourced from California bighorn sheep were less genetically diverse than those sourced from Rocky Mountain herds. Also, levels of relatedness within and across California herds were higher than in Rocky Mountain herds and similar to what would be expected for full and half siblings. Lower diversity and higher relatedness among California herds is a concern for long-term fitness and likely related to past population bottlenecks, fewer source populations, and management history, such as entirely sourcing California herds from British Columbia. Genetic divergence of neutral loci between California and Rocky Mountain herds was greater than that of adaptive loci, potentially indicating that balancing selection has maintained similar genetic diversity across lineages in loci associated with immune and other adaptive functions. Thus, we recommend future reintroductions and augmentations should continue to use source populations from the appropriate California or Rocky Mountain lineage to avoid potential outbreeding depression and maintain possible adaptive differences. This could be accomplished by obtaining sheep from ≥1 source within the genetic lineage, while avoiding sourcing from admixed herds. Future work encompassing a broader geographic sampling of populations and a greater portion of the genome is necessary to better evaluate the degree to which contemporary divergence between lineages is associated with recent founder effects and genetic isolation or evolutionary adaptation. © 2021 The Wildlife Society     

用mtDNA D-环序列探讨蒙古和中国绵羊的起源及遗传多样性

为了在分子水平上探讨绵羊的起源,对中国和蒙古共20个绵羊群体、314只绵羊mtDNA D-环的部分序列进行了测定,结果表明：中国绵羊和蒙古绵羊mtDNA D-环区的部分序列中A、T、G、C含量没有明显的差别;蒙古绵羊的多态位点数（28．85％）略高于中国绵羊（24．22％）;中国绵羊群体的单倍型多样度在青海藏羊、甘肃藏羊、甘肃高山细毛羊、青海细：色羊、甘南藏羊、小尾寒羊和滩羊群体中较高,但在湖羊和岷县黑裘皮羊中较低;蒙古绵羊的单倍型多样度在Bayad和Baidrag群体中最高,但在Gobi—Altai群体中最低。从总体上看,蒙古绵羊的遗传多样性要略高于中国绵羊,例如单倍犁比例的平均值为86．06％（142／185）：78．83％（108／137）,单倍型多样度（Hd）的甲均值为0．976：0．936,核苷酸多样度（Pi（π））的平均值为0．036：0．034,平均核苷酸差异数（k）的平均值为23．50：22．48～217个中国和蒙古绵羊的单倍型序列的系统发生分析表明,中国和蒙古绵羊均有3个母系起源,被定义为A、B和C3类主要的单倍型。其中A类单倍型在所有中国绵羊群体及绝大多数蒙古绵羊群体（9／11）中占优势,平均比例为58．73％;B类单倍型居中,为24．88％;C类单倍型最少,仅为16．59％。进一步从GenBank获得的91个绵羊D-环区的序列与中国和蒙古绵羊D-环区的单倍型的进行网络关系分析,发现欧洲摩弗仑羊（European mouflon,O．musimon）与中国和蒙古绵羊具有较近的亲缘关系,但没有发现塬羊（Argali．O．ammon）、盘羊（0．rignei bochariensis）和东方盘羊（0．ammon nigrimontana）对中国和蒙古绵羊起源有贡献的证据。     

Genomic Regions in Local Endangered Sheep Encode Potentially Favorable Genes

The economic evaluation of farm animal genetic resources plays a key role in developing conservation programs. However, to date, the link between diversity as assessed by neutral genetic markers and the functional diversity is not yet understood. Two genome-wide comparisons, using over 44,000 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms, identified the markers with the highest difference in allele frequency between the Alpago endangered breed and two clusters, composed of four specialized dairy sheep, and four meat breeds respectively. The genes in proximity of these markers were mapped to known pathways of the Gene Ontology to determine which ones were most represented. Our results indicated that the differences of the Alpago breed from the more productive sheep rely upon genes involved in cellular defense and repair mechanisms. A higher number of different markers and genes were detected in the comparison with the specialized dairy sheep. These genes play a role in complex biological processes: metabolic, homeostatic, neurological system, and macromolecular organization; such processes may possibly explain the evolution of gene function as a result of selection to improve milk yield.     

Institutions and Cultural Diversity: Effects of Democratic and Propaganda Processes on Local Convergence and Global Diversity

In a connected world where people influence each other, what can cause a globalized monoculture, and which measures help to preserve the coexistence of cultures? Previous research has shown that factors such as homophily, population size, geography, mass media, and type of social influence play important roles. In the present paper, we investigate for the first time the impact that institutions have on cultural diversity. In our first three studies, we extend existing agent-based models and explore the effects of institutional influence and agent loyalty. We find that higher institutional influence increases cultural diversity, while individuals'' loyalty to their institutions has a small, preserving effect. In three further studies, we test how bottom-up and top-down processes of institutional influence impact our model. We find that bottom-up democratic practices, such as referenda, tend to produce convergence towards homogeneity, while top-down information dissemination practices, such as propaganda, further increase diversity. In our last model—an integration of bottom-up and top-down processes into a feedback loop of information—we find that when democratic processes are rare, the effects of propaganda are amplified, i.e., more diversity emerges; however, when democratic processes are common, they are able to neutralize or reverse this propaganda effect. Importantly, our models allow for control over the full spectrum of diversity, so that a manipulation of our parameters can result in preferred levels of diversity, which will be useful for the study of other factors in the future. We discuss possible mechanisms behind our results, applications, and implications for political and social sciences.     

新疆8个绵羊品种遗传多样性和系统发生关系的微卫星分析

为分析新疆北疆地区主要绵羊品种的遗传多样性和系统发生关系,利用10个微卫星标记,采用PCR扩增,12％非变性聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳、Sanguinetti银染法显色,对新疆北疆地区8个品种、1个杂交一代绵羊群体遗传多样性进行了检测,统计了各群体的等位基因组成、平均有效等位基因数(E)和平均基因纯合率,利用等位基因频率计算出各群体的平均遗传杂合度(h)、多态信息含量(PIC)和群体间的遗传距离。利用分子进化遗传分析软件,采用邻结法构建系统发生树;同时根据等位基因频率,利用PHYLIP(3．6)分析软件,采用最大似然法构建系统发生树,应用白举检验估计系统树中结点的白引导值,并进行了系统发生分析。结果表明：10个微卫星位点在9个绵羊群体中的多态信息含量除BMI824、MAF65为低、中度多态外,其余8个微卫星均为高度多态,可作为有效的遗传标记用于各绵羊品种的遗传多样性和系统发生关系的分析;所有绵羊群体的平均PIC(0．5631)、h(0．5721)和E(2．9)均低于国外其他品种的绵羊,其基因多态性和遗传多样性相对贫乏;新疆本地土种阿勒泰羊、哈萨克羊和巴什拜羊与国外引进绵羊品种及混有外血的本地培育品种遗传距离较远,他们聚为不同的两类,各绵羊品种的分子系统发生关系与其来源、育成史、分化及地理分布基本一致。     

Admixture in Latin America: Geographic Structure,Phenotypic Diversity and Self-Perception of Ancestry Based on 7,342 Individuals

The current genetic makeup of Latin America has been shaped by a history of extensive admixture between Africans, Europeans and Native Americans, a process taking place within the context of extensive geographic and social stratification. We estimated individual ancestry proportions in a sample of 7,342 subjects ascertained in five countries (Brazil, Chile, Colombia, México and Perú). These individuals were also characterized for a range of physical appearance traits and for self-perception of ancestry. The geographic distribution of admixture proportions in this sample reveals extensive population structure, illustrating the continuing impact of demographic history on the genetic diversity of Latin America. Significant ancestry effects were detected for most phenotypes studied. However, ancestry generally explains only a modest proportion of total phenotypic variation. Genetically estimated and self-perceived ancestry correlate significantly, but certain physical attributes have a strong impact on self-perception and bias self-perception of ancestry relative to genetically estimated ancestry.