Acta Veterinaria et Zootechnica Sinica ›› 2023, Vol. 54 ›› Issue (3): 1026-1033.doi: 10.11843/j.issn.0366-6964.2023.03.016

• ANIMAL GENETICS AND BREEDING • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Y-chromosome Genomic Diversity and Paternal Origins of Qaidam Cattle and Mongolian Cattle

MA Zhijie1, WANG Shikang2, ZHANG Weizhong3, GUO Weixing1, ZHAO Haiming4, LEI Chuzhao2*   

  1. 1. Plateau Livestock Genetic Resources Protection and Innovative Utilization Key Laboratory of Qinghai Province, Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Genetics and Breeding on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Academy of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China;
    2. College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University, Yangling 712100, China;
    3. Station of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine of Golmud City of Qinghai Province, Golmud 816000, China;
    4. Station of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine of Wutumeiren Town in Golmud City of Qinghai Province, Golmud 816000, China
  • Received:2022-09-13 Online:2023-03-23 Published:2023-03-21

Abstract: The study aimed to investigate the genetic diversity and evolutionary relationships of the sires from Qaidam cattle and Mongolian cattle at genomic level. In this study, the whole genome resequencing was used to scan the Y-chromosome single copy gene regions of a total of 22 individuals from 5 different geographical populations of the Qaidam cattle and 23 individuals from Mongolian cattle, and their paternal genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationship were analyzed using bioinformatics methods. The results showed that a total of 4 haplotypes were defined in 22 Qaidam cattle, with a haplotype diversity of 0.610±0.093 and a nucleotide diversity of 0.074±0.015, whereas a total of 10 haplotypes were identified in 23 Mongolian cattle, with a haplotype diversity of 0.925±0.025 and a nucleotide diversity of 0.137±0.013, indicating that Qaidam cattle had lower paternal genetic diversity compared to Mongolian cattle. The phylogenetic tree and haplotype network diagrams constructed showed that the 22 Qaidam cattle were clearly divided into two haplogroups, namely Y1 (18.2%) and Y2 (81.8%), of which Y2 was the dominant haplogroup, and the Y2 haplogroup included two sub-haplogroups, namely Y2a (18.2%) and Y2b (63.6%), of which the Y2b sub-haplogroup was dominant, indicating that the Qaidam cattle had both Y1 and Y2 paternal origins. Mongolian cattle also had both Y1 (17.4%) and Y2 (82.6%) paternal origins, but the Y2 haplogroup was dominated by the Y2a sub-haplogroup (47.8%). The above results suggest that Qaidam and Mongolian cattle have similar paternal genetic composition. However, considering the lower paternal genetic diversity of Qaidam cattle, it is suggested to increase the gene exchange of bulls from different populations within this breed for improving their genetic diversity. This study provides a theoretical basis for clarifying the paternal genetic differences between Qaidam cattle and Mongolian cattle, and for the conservation and exploitation of their germplasm resources.

Key words: Qaidam cattle, Mongolian cattle, Y chromosome genome, SNP, paternal origin

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