Population Analysis and Genetic Structure of Two Kazakh Cattle Breeds Using 150K SNP

Kazakh white-headed and Auliekol breeds are mostly spread through Kazakhstan and are animals with dual purpose productivity directions including meat and milk. Kazakh native cattle breeds are still largely unexplored based on the genetic markers and are of great interest in the country. In this study, we for the first time applied high-density SNP genotyping for two indigenous cattle breeds to study genetic diversity, population structure and relationships with the different foreign breeds. Using of GGP Bovine 150K SNP array the principal component analysis (PCA), populations estimates of the genetic structure (ADMIXTURE), genetic diversity and distances (Fst), and phylogenetic tree showed that the Kazakh white-headed and Auliekol breeds have certain separate genetic structure that differ from European and Russian cattle breeds The two of these Kazakh cattle breeds have their genetic background according to observed results as distinct breeds. The obtained results will be aided in the development breeding system and conservation programs of the Kazakh white-headed and Auliekol breeds of beef cattle in the Kazakhstan

Assessment of growth and development of hybrid duckling offspring

Currently, for agricultural enterprises of all ownership forms in the Republic of Kazakhstan, issues related to improving breeds, crosses, and lines of waterfowl remain important. Additionally, technologies for housing and feeding that enhance the survival and productivity of poultry are of great significance. The use of the genetic resources of domestic poultry breeds in breeding work, as well as the preservation of rare and endangered populations, holds special importance due to their high adaptive qualities in terms of both the quality and quantity of the obtained products, and their suitability for local feed and eco-climatic conditions. As a result of conducted research, an assessment of the quality of paternal and maternal lines of crosses from local duck populations in the Northern region of Kazakhstan has been performed, and indicators of growth, development, and survival of the obtained hybrid offspring have been studied. The conducted research has established that the "Ansar" crossbred ducklings exhibit higher growth energy along with a 94% survival rate of the offspring in early age

Distribution of Homozygosity Regions in the Genome of Kazakh Cattle Breeds

Runs of homozygosity (ROH) are contiguous stretches of homozygous genotypes that are passed from parents to their offspring. ROHs are suitable for determining population history, inbreeding rates, and the genetic relationships between individuals in the populations, as well as to detect candidate genes responsible for economic traits in farm animals. In this study, we observed that the Kazakh white-headed (KWh) cattle breed (ROH n = 55,976) had a higher number of ROH compared to the Auliekol (AK) breed (ROH n = 13,137). When calculating the mean length of ROH, there were considerable differences between Kazakh white-headed (211.59 ± 92.98 Mb) and Auliekol (99.62 ± 46.48 Mb) populations. The maximum length of ROH was higher in Auliekol cattle (510.25 Mb) than in Kazakh white-headed cattle (498.91 Mb). The average inbreeding coefficient rate was equal to 0.084 ± 0.037 in Kazakh white-headed cattle and 0.039 ± 0.018 in Auliekol cattle. The high frequency of genomic regions showed that the strongest patterns were observed on chromosomes 2, 6, and 26 for KWh and 1, 5, and 14 for AK. The estimation of ROH numbers per animal showed that the number of ROH decreased with increasing ROH length in both populations. The genomic inbreeding coefficient of both cattle breeds was calculated based on the ROH, and ancient inbreeding was observed. The harbored genes within ROH islands were associated with meat growth and milk production

Genetic structure and genome-wide association study of the traditional Kazakh horses

Horses are traditionally used in Kazakhstan as a source of food and as working and saddle animals as well. Here, for the first time, microarray-based medium-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping of six traditionally defined types and breeds of indigenous Kazakh horses was conducted to reveal their genetic structure and find markers associated with animal size and weight. The results showed that the predefined separation between breeds and sampled populations was not supported by the molecular data. The lack of genetic variation between breeds and populations was revealed by the principal component analysis, ADMIXTURE, and distance-based analyses, as well as the general population parameters expected and observed heterozygosity (He and Ho) and between-group fixation index (Fst). The analysis revealed that the studied types and breeds should be considered as a single breed, namely the ‘Kazakh horse’. The comparison with previously published data on global horse breed diversity revealed the relatively high level of individual diversity of Kazakh horses in comparison with the well-known foreign breeds. The Mongolian and Tuva breeds were identified as the closest horse landraces, demonstrating similar patterns of internal variability. The genome-wide association analysis was performed for animal size and weight as the traits directly related with the meat productivity of horses. The analysis identified a set of 60 SNPs linked with horse genes involved in the regulation of processes of development of connective tissues and the bone system, neural system, immune system regulation, and other processes. The present study is novel and introduces Kazakh horses as a promising genetic source for horse breeding and selection both on the domestic and international levels