0000000000011727
AUTHOR
E. Ciani
Selection signatures of fat tail in sheep
The investigation of the genes with a role in lipid metabolism enjoy considerable scientific and commercial interest because of the strong correlations between fat deposition and the risk of cardiovascular disease. The fat tail characteristic of sheep is the adaptive response to harsh environment, and beyond representing a valuable energy reserve for facing future climate changes provides clues for elucidating the physiology of fat deposition. Studies on various sheep populations detected fat-tail signatures on chromosomes 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 and 13. Fat-tailed sheep represent about 25% of the world’s sheep population, and the genes with a role in this phenotype are likely not the same for every …
Tracking Zebu Introgression in Mediterranean Cattle Breeds
A recent work investigating genetic origin, admixture and population history of primitive European cattle highlighted, by using genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms, zebu gene flow in the Balkan and Italian Podolic cattle populations. Haemoglobin protein polymorphism analysis in Italian breeds highlighted the presence of zebuine markers in both Italian Podolic and Alpine Grey cattle. Based on the above evidences, we here specifically look for genomic regions of zebuine ancestry in a different dataset of 50K genotypes from Mediterranean breeds including 29 Marismena (Spain); 30 Bazadaise and 30 Gasconne (France); 24 Alpine Grey, 97 Piemontese, 51 Chianina, 5 Marchigiana, 121 Romagnola…
Genome-wide characterization of local cattle breeds from central and western Mediterranean
Following-up on previous studies that investigated genetic relationships among several world-wide cattle breeds using genome-wide SNP data, we focus here on the central and western part of the Mediterranean. Notably, 50K genotypes from 30 Marismeña (Spain); 24 Guelmoise (Algeria); 46 Brune de l’Atlas Fauve, 15 Brune de l’Atlas Grise, and 15 Blonde du Cap (Tunisia); 29 Modicana and 30 Cinisara (Sicily); 24 Podolica Italiana (Southern continental Italy); 34 Chianina and 24 Romagnola (Central Italy); 23 Modenese, 24 Reggiana, 23 Alpine Grey and 50 Pezzata Rossa Italiana (Northern Italy); 50 Bruna Italiana and 50 Frisona Italiana were considered. When included in a world-wide dataset, the three…
Detection of genomic signatures of selection in the North African Brune de l’Atlas cattle
The identification of signatures of selection in indigenous livestock genome is able to elucidate the adaptive mechanisms allowing them to cope with environmental pressures. In the present study, we used genotyping data from 106 Brune de l’Atlas cattle individuals and tests based on the extent of haplotype homozygosity (EHH) to look for footprints of natural selection. We identified 17 genomic regions displaying strong signal of selection (p-value <10-6) overlapping with previously described QTL regions affecting many traits such as meat and milk composition, tuberculosis susceptibility, tick and mastitis resistance. Some of these highly significant candidate regions overlap with four previ…
Italian Goat Consortium: a collaborative project to study the Italian caprine biodiversity.
The Italian Goat Consortium (IGC), joined the effort of many Universities and Research Institutes, in a comprehensive study of the Italian goat population genetic makeup using a medium density (54K) SNPs chip. Currently IGC has genotyped more than 1,000 animals from more than 30 goat breeds and populations from all Italian geographical and agroecological areas of goat rearing. The aim of this work is to obtain a clear picture of the Italian caprine biodiversity, to reconstruct the ancestry, to disentangle the genetic background and to assess the relationships among and within the investigated breeds. To date, the IGC dataset includes about 50 million genotypes. The data were quality checked…
A genome-wide perspective on the population structure of Italian cattle breeds
Despite the growing diffusion of cosmopolite specialized breeds, several autochthonous cattle breeds and populations are still bred in Italy. The aim of this study was to provide a high-resolution picture of the genome-wide diversity and population structure of Italian local cattle breeds using medium-density genome-wide SNP markers. After data editing, the dataset included 800 samples from 32 breeds that were genotyped for 31 013 SNPs. For several breeds we observed a low level of polymorphism and genetic diversity, that together with the small effective population sizes confirmed threat of extinction. According to the runs of homozygosity analysis, evidence of recent inbreeding was strong…
BOVITA: a first overview on genome-wide genetic diversity of Italian autochthonous cattle breeds
Analysis of genomic data is increasingly becoming part of the livestock industry and is an invaluable resource for effective management of breeding programs in small populations. The recent availability of genome-wide SNP panels allows providing background information concerning genome structure in domestic animals, opening new perspectives to livestock genetics. BOVITA was established to join local efforts and resources for the genomic characterization of Italian local cattle breeds. Despite the growing diffusion of some cosmopolite specialized breeds, several autochthonous breeds are still bred in Italy. The main aim of the BOVITA is to investigate the genomic structure of Italian local c…
Genomic diversity and population structure analysis reveal few genetic differences among Ethiopian indigenous sheep populations
African sheep, like other domestic sheep, are domesticated from the Asiatic mouflon (Ovis orientalis). They entered the continent through the North and the Horn of Africa regions following maritime and terrestrial trading routes. Ethiopia is one of the main entry points of various plant and animal domesticates into Africa. It is characterised by diverse agro-ecologies, ancient human ethnic diversity and the presence of indigenous sheep breeds/populations of unprecedented morphological diversity (e.g. tail types). Here, we investigate the genome diversity and population structure of 146 unrelated animals from 11 Ethiopian indigenous sheep populations. DNA was extracted from ear tissue punche…