Four Korean native cattle (KNC) breeds—Hanwoo, Chikso, Heugu, and Jeju black—are entered in the Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The objective of this study was to assess the genetic diversity, phylogenetic relationships and population structure of these KNC breeds (n = 120) and exotic breeds (Holstein and Charolais, n = 56). Thirty microsatellite loci recommended by the International Society for Animal Genetics/FAO were genotyped. These genotypes were used to determine the allele frequencies, allelic richness, heterozygosity and polymorphism information content per locus and breed. Genetic diversity was lower in Heugu and Jeju black breeds. Phylogenetic analysis, Factorial Correspondence Analysis and genetic clustering grouped each breed in its own cluster, which supported the genetic uniqueness of the KNC breeds. These results will be useful for conservation and management of KNC breeds as animal genetic resources.
The level of genetic variation and relationships in three native Korean goat populations (Dangjin, Jangsu, and Tongyeong) as well as the populations of a farm were analyzed, based on 30 microsatellite markers. A total of 277 distinct alleles were observed across the four goat populations, and 102 (36.8%) of these alleles were unique to only one population. The mean observed heterozygosity and polymorphism information content were calculated as 0.461~0.651 and 0.462~0.679, respectively. In the NJ tree constructed based on Nei's DA genetic distance, the four populations represented four distinct groups. However, the genetic distances between each Korean native goat population and the farm population were two times those among the three native Korean breeds. The genetic structure within the three Korean native goat populations was also investigated. Cluster analysis, using the STRUCTURE software, suggested three clusters. The molecular information of genetic diversity and relationships in this study will be useful for the evaluation, conservation, and utilization of native Korean goat breeds as genetic resources.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.