Genetic structure, relationships and admixture with wild relatives in native pig breeds from Iberia and its islands

Articles in International JournalsBackground: Native pig breeds in the Iberian Peninsula are broadly classified as belonging to either the Celtic or the Mediterranean breed groups, but there are other local populations that do not fit into any of these groups. Most of the native pig breeds in Iberia are in danger of extinction, and the assessment of their genetic diversity and population structure, relationships and possible admixture between breeds, and the appraisal of conservation alternatives are crucial to adopt appropriate management strategies. Methods: A panel of 24 microsatellite markers was used to genotype 844 animals representing the 17 most important native swine breeds and wild populations existing in Portugal and Spain and various statistical tools were applied to analyze the results. Results: Genetic diversity was high in the breeds studied, with an overall mean of 13.6 alleles per locus and an average expected heterozygosity of 0.80. Signs of genetic bottlenecks were observed in breeds with a small census size, and population substructure was present in some of the breeds with larger census sizes. Variability among breeds accounted for about 20% of the total genetic diversity, and was explained mostly by differences among the Celtic, Mediterranean and Basque breed groups, rather than by differences between domestic and wild pigs. Breeds clustered closely according to group, and proximity was detected between wild pigs and the Mediterranean cluster of breeds. Most breeds had their own structure and identity, with very little evidence of admixture, except for the Retinto and Entrepelado varieties of the Mediterranean group, which are very similar. Genetic influence of the identified breed clusters extends beyond the specific geographical areas across borders throughout the Iberian Peninsula, with a very sharp transition from one breed group to another. Analysis of conservation priorities confirms that the ranking of a breed for conservation depends on the emphasis placed on its contribution to the betweenand within-breed components of genetic diversity. Conclusions: Native pig breeds in Iberia reveal high levels of genetic diversity, a solid breed structure and a clear organization in well-defined clusters

Diversidade genética do cavalo Pantaneiro e relações com outras raças de eqüinos

The objective of this work was to evaluate the genetic diversity of Brazilian Pantaneiro horse by microsatellite markers, investigate the effect of genetic bottlenecks and estimate genetic differentiation among four horse breeds. Genetic variation was estimated through allele frequencies and mean breed heterozygosity. Nei´s genetic distances among the breeds Pantaneiro, Thoroughbred, Arabian, Spanish Pure Breed (Andalusian), and Uruguay Creole were calculated, and it was used to construct an UPGMA dendrogram. Clustering at different K values was calculated to infer population structure and assign individuals to populations. Nei´s distances showed a minimum distance between Pantaneiro horse and Spanish Pure Breed (0.228), and similar distances from Spanish Pure Breed to Thoroughbred and to Arabian (0.355 and 0.332). It was observed a great level of diversity, clear distance from Pantaneiro horse to other breeds, and genetic uniformity within breed. It was verified a certain level of substructure of Pantaneiro horse showing no influences from the other studied breeds.O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a variabilidade genética do cavalo Pantaneiro, por meio de marcadores microssatélites, investigar o efeito genético de "bottlenecks" e estimar a variação genética entre quatro raças de cavalo. A diversidade genética foi estimada por meio da freqüência de alelos e da média de heterozigosidade por raças. A distância genética de Nei foi calculada para as raças Pantaneiro, Puro Sangue Inglês, Árabe, Puro Sangue Espanhol e Crioulo Uruguaio. O agrupamento em diferentes valores de K foi calculado para inferir a estrutura da população e determinar indivíduos às populações. A distância de Nei mostrou distância mínima entre o cavalo Pantaneiro e o Puro Sangue Espanhol (0,228), e entre o Puro Sangue Espanhol e o Puro Sangue Inglês e o Árabe (0,355 e 0,332, respectivamente). Foi observada grande diversidade genética dentro da raça Pantaneiro, evidente distância desta raça em relação às demais raças estudadas, e uniformidade genética dentro da raça. Verificou-se certo nível de subestruturação no cavalo Pantaneiro, sem demonstrar influência das outras raças estudadas

The genetic ancestry of American Creole cattle inferred from uniparental and autosomal genetic markers

Cattle imported from the Iberian Peninsula spread throughout America in the early years of discovery and colonization to originate Creole breeds, which adapted to a wide diversity of environments and later received influences from other origins, including zebu cattle in more recent years. We analyzed uniparental genetic markers and autosomal microsatellites in DNA samples from 114 cattle breeds distributed worldwide, including 40 Creole breeds representing the whole American continent, and samples from the Iberian Peninsula, British islands, Continental Europe, Africa and American zebu. We show that Creole breeds differ considerably from each other, and most have their own identity or group with others from neighboring regions. Results with mtDNA indicate that T1c-lineages are rare in Iberia but common in Africa and are well represented in Creoles from Brazil and Colombia, lending support to a direct African influence on Creoles. This is reinforced by the sharing of a unique Y-haplotype between cattle from Mozambique and Creoles from Argentina. Autosomal microsatellites indicate that Creoles occupy an intermediate position between African and European breeds, and some Creoles show a clear Iberian signature. Our results confirm the mixed ancestry of American Creole cattle and the role that African cattle have played in their development.Fil: Ginja, Catarina. Universidad de Porto. Facultad de Ciências. Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos; PortugalFil: Gama, Luis Telo. Universidade de Lisboa. Faculdade de Medicina Veterinaria; PortugalFil: Cortés, Oscar. Universidad Complutense de Madrid; EspañaFil: Martin Burriel, Inmaculada. Universidad de Zaragoza; EspañaFil: Vega Pla, Jose Luis. Servicio de Cría Caballar de las Fuerzas Armadas. Laboratorio de Investigación Aplicada; EspañaFil: Penedo, Cecilia. University of California; Estados UnidosFil: Sponenberg, Phil. Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Cañón Ferreras, Francisco Javier. Universidad Complutense de Madrid; EspañaFil: Sanz, Arianne. Universidad de Zaragoza; EspañaFil: Egito, Andrea Alves do. Embrapa Gado de Corte; BrasilFil: Alvares, Luz Angela. Universidad Nacional de Colombia; ColombiaFil: Giovambattista, Guillermo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico CONICET- La Plata. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria "Ing. Fernando Noel Dulout". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria; ArgentinaFil: Agha, Saif. Ain Shams University. Faculty of Agriculture, Animal Production Department; EgiptoFil: Rogberg Muñoz, Andres. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico CONICET- La Plata. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria "Ing. Fernando Noel Dulout". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria; ArgentinaFil: Cassiano Lara, Maria Aparecida. Centro de Genética e Reprodução. Instituto de Zootecnia; BrasilFil: Delgado, Juan Vicente. Universidad de Córdoba; EspañaFil: Martinez, Amparo. Universidad de Córdoba; Españ

Author Correction: The genetic ancestry of American Creole cattle inferred from uniparental and autosomal genetic markers

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.Enmienda al artículo citado, que puede accederse haciendo clic en "Documentos relacionados".Facultad de Ciencias Veterinaria

The genetic ancestry of American Creole cattle inferred from uniparental and autosomal genetic markers

Cattle imported from the Iberian Peninsula spread throughout America in the early years of discovery and colonization to originate Creole breeds, which adapted to a wide diversity of environments and later received infuences from other origins, including zebu cattle in more recent years. We analyzed uniparental genetic markers and autosomal microsatellites in DNA samples from 114 cattle breeds distributed worldwide, including 40 Creole breeds representing the whole American continent, and samples from the Iberian Peninsula, British islands, Continental Europe, Africa and American zebu. We show that Creole breeds difer considerably from each other, and most have their own identity or group with others from neighboring regions. Results with mtDNA indicate that T1c-lineages are rare in Iberia but common in Africa and are well represented in Creoles from Brazil and Colombia, lending support to a direct African infuence on Creoles. This is reinforced by the sharing of a unique Y-haplotype between cattle from Mozambique and Creoles from Argentina. Autosomal microsatellites indicate that Creoles occupy an intermediate position between African and European breeds, and some Creoles show a clear Iberian signature. Our results confrm the mixed ancestry of American Creole cattle and the role that African cattle have played in their development.Este trabajo tiene una enmienda, a la que puede accederse haciendo clic en el primer enlace de "Documentos relacionados".Facultad de Ciencias Veterinaria

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality