Acta Veterinaria et Zootechnica Sinica ›› 2025, Vol. 56 ›› Issue (3): 1189-1202.doi: 10.11843/j.issn.0366-6964.2025.03.020

• Animal Genetics and Breeding • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Analysis of Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Simmental Cattle Based on Whole Genome Resequencing

HU Xin1,2(), YOU Wei1,2, JIANG Fugui1,2, CHENG Haijian1,2, SUN Zhigang3, SONG Enliang1,2,*()   

  1. 1. Shandong Key Laboratory of Animal Disease Control and Breeding, Institute of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinan 250100, China
    2. Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Multi-omics of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Jinan 250100, China
    3. Green Food Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Technology Co., LTD., Yantai 265701, China
  • Received:2024-09-26 Online:2025-03-23 Published:2025-04-02
  • Contact: SONG Enliang E-mail:huxin19890803@163.com;enliangs@126.com

Abstract:

The aim was to analyze the genetic diversity and genetic structure of Simmental cattle populations to provide a theoretical basis for breeding programs and genetic improvement. In this study, 149 Simmental cattle were subjected to whole genome resequencing, and genetic structure, runs of homozygosity (ROH), and kinship and lineage construction were analyzed based on high-quality single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) sites obtained from all the genomic data. The results showed that the average sequencing depth of 149 Simmental cattle was 5×, and a total of 1 265 356 SNPs loci were identified after quality control, with an average minimum allele frequency of 0.067, an average polymorphic information content of 0.083, an average observed heterozygosity of 0.121, and an average expected heterozygosity of 0.157. The G matrix of kinship and the IBS distance matrix had similar results, and most individuals had medium level of kinship. A total of 70 genomic ROH were detected in 149 Simmental cattle with a total ROH length of 127 627.935 kb, of which 98.57% were between 1 to 5 Mb in length. The inbreeding coefficient based on ROH was 0.000 3, suggesting a low degree of inbreeding. In addition, evolutionary tree analysis classified these 149 Simmental cattle into 22 different family branches. In summary, the Simmental cattle herd showed relatively rich diversity and moderate relatedness. Inbreeding was observed in a few individuals, but the overall level of inbreeding in the population remained low.

Key words: Simmental cattle, low-density whole genome resequencing, population genetic structure, genetic diversity, kinship

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