Assessment of genetic diversity of Turkish and Algerian native sheep breeds

Abstract

Assessment of genetic diversity of Turkish and Algerian native sheep breedsAbstract: In Algeria and Turkey, the sheep production systems are based on the under extensive rural conditions and their genetic management has led to increased homozygosity and hence productivity loss. The identification of inter-breed and intra-breed genetic diversity plays a key role in the shaping of conservation and breeding programs. The present study was conducted to investigate the genetic diversity of native sheep breeds reared in Turkey and Algeria. A total of 240 animals from four Algerian (Hamra, Ouled Djellal, Sidaou, and Tazegzawt) and four Turkish (White Karaman, South Karaman, Karacabey Merino, and Kıvırcık) native sheep breeds were genotyped with fourteen microsatellite markers recommended by FAO. A total of 340 alleles were detected from fourteen markers studied. All the eight breeds exhibited moderate to high levels of genetic diversity, with a slight superiority of the Algerian sheep breeds. Overall FIS value was low, but highly significant (p < 0.001). It may have been due to the high inbreeding within the population. The mean global coefficient of gene differentiation (GST) showed that approximately 94.0 % of the genetic variation was within-population. The highest number of private alleles with a frequency above 5 % was observed in Ouled Djellal sheep. Structure analysis of populations studied revealed the most appropriate K with four genetic clusters. As the result, the dendrogram showed that the Algerian sheep breeds were completely separated from the Turkish sheep breeds furthermore the Bayesian clustering revealed a high level of admixture, especially in Algerian sheep populations. Pregled genetske pestrosti turških in alžirskih avtohotnih populacij ovacIzvleček: Sistemi reje ovac v Alžiriji in Turčiji temeljijo na ekstenzivni kmečki reji, upravljanje s temi populacijami pa je privedlo do povečanja homozigotnosti in s tem do poslabšanja proizvodnih lastnosti. Ocena medpasemske in znotrajpasemske genske pestrosti igra ključno vlogo pri oblikovanju programov za ohranjanje teh pasem. Pričujoča študija je bila izvedena z namenom raziskovanja genske pestrosti avtohtonih pasem ovac v Turčiji in v Alžiriji. Skupno 240 živali štirih alžirskih (hamra, ouled djellal, sidaou in tazegzawt) in štirih turških (white karaman, south karaman, karacabey merino in kıvırcık) pasem je bilo genotipiziranih s štirinajstimi mikrosatelitnimi markerji, ki jih priporoča FAO. Na štirinajstih analiziranih markerskih lokusih je bilo zabeleženih 340 alelov. Vseh osem pasem je imelo zmerno do visoko stopnjo genske pestrosti z rahlo prevlado alžirskih pasem ovac. Skupna vrednost FIS je bila nizka, vendar statistično značilna (p < 0,001). To je verjetno posledica visokega inbridinga v populaciji. Povprečni globalni koeficient diferenciacije genov (GST) je pokazal, da je približno 94,0 % genske pestrosti znotraj populacije. Največ privatnih alelov s pogostostjo nad 5 % je bilo ugotovljenih pri ovcah pasme ouled djellal. Analiza strukture populaci...