Origin-related study of genetic diversity and heteroplasmy of Mongolian sheep (Ovis arie) using mitochondrial DNA

Abstract

Food and agricultural production sector, especially livestock production is vital for Mongolia's economic and social development. Domestic sheep play key roles for Mongolians, providing food (meat, milk) and raw materials (wool, sheepskin), but genetic diversity, origin of sheep populations in Mongolia have not been well studied. Studies of population genetic diversity is important research field in conservation and restoration of animal breeds and genetic resources. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate genetic characteristics and estimate origin through the analysis of mitochondrial DNA control region D-loop and Cytochrome b of Mongolian indigenous sheep (Mongolian native, Orkhon and Altanbulag) and one Europe sheep (Suffolk). As a result of there were found, 220 SNPs (Single nucleotide polymorphism) in the D-loop region, 28 SNPs in the Cytochrome B region, furthermore, 77 Haplotypes. The nucleotide diversity was only found in D-loop region (n = 0.0184). Phylogenetic analysis showed that 3 (A, B, and C) of 5 haplogroups of sheep have been identified in our research. Haplogroup C was only found in Mongolian indigenous sheep. Haplogroup D and E were not observed. As a result of haplogroups, haplogroup A was dominant (n = 46 of 94 sheeps), followed by haplogroup B (n = 36) and haplogroup C (n = 12). Sequence analysis showed that T deletion, insertion and heteroplasmy in D-loop region occurred at a high rate in Mongolian indigenous sheep population (T insertion = 47, T deletion = 83). The heteroplasmy, which has never been found in Mongolian sheep, has been newly discovered in this study. As a result, the Mongolian sheep varieties, which mainly derived from Asia, were in hybridization with European sheep varieties.

The genetic profiles and maternal origin of local sheep breeds on Java Island (Indonesia) based on complete mitochondrial DNA D-loop sequences

“…Need more research to find out more detail genetic diversity and genetic distances within and between populations. Further research can be carried out by comparing samples from other regions in Indonesia and from neighboring countries [ 40 ]. Apart from studying part of mtDNA, more detailed studies can also be carried out such as microsatellite [ 41 , 42 ], complete mitochondrial genome [ 27 , 43 ], whole-genome DNA [ 44 , 45 ], and the other studies using the next-generation sequencing [ 46 ] and/or the other methods.…”

Reality of Mitogenome Investigation in Preservation of Native Domestic Sheep Breeds

“…For the third time, it is worth mentioning the unfolding of the microevolutionary web of our domesticated animals and the knowledge of the origin (at the same time geographical) of the breeds that have developed today (e.g. [25]).…”

Live weight and exterior characteristics of lambs obtained from inbreeding F2 hybrid sheep of Hisar and native breeds

“…Sheep breeding is one of the leading sectors in the livestock sector, 30% of the total meat supplied in Uzbekistan is obtained from sheep breeding, which requires the development of this sector on a more scientific basis [1]. For this purpose, it is important to take care of the sheep at a reasonable level, to feed them with full value, and to further improve the breeding work.…”

“…Tailfat is a genetic trait of this sheep breed and is considered one of the main "observable" indicators and serves as a natural nutrient reserve in unfavorable feeding conditions, mainly during severe cold periods of winter. At the moment, Edilboy sheep have the highest meat and fat productivity among other sheep breeds, and coarse wool serves to improve sheep in terms of meat-fat productivity [1,2,9].…”