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Home / Equine Research Bank / Anim Sci J / Changes of sires in a breeding farm enables maintenance of D...
Animal science journal = Nihon chikusan Gakkaiho2019; 91(1); e13318; doi: 10.1111/asj.13318

Changes of sires in a breeding farm enables maintenance of DNA-level genetic variation in a produced herd of Hokkaido Native Horses.

Abstract: We investigated whether regular changes of the sire in a breeding farm of Hokkaido Native Horses (HKDs) enables the DNA-level genetic variation of the produced animals to be maintained. The genotypes of 31 microsatellite markers were identified and analyzed in 207 animals produced in a breeding farm in which the sire was replaced every 3 to 5 years. The mean allele number indicating the degree of genetic variation was 5.97 and was similar to those reported previously. The mean observed heterozygosity was 0.74 and was higher than the expected heterozygosity, 0.69; F was -0.07, indicating that the analyzed animals reflected frequent outbreeding and had maintained genetic variation. Based on genetic structural analysis, the number of genetic subpopulations of the animals was estimated to be as 6, and the majority (more than 50%) of each subpopulation corresponded to the progeny of one of the sires used in the breeding farm; these observations suggested that genetic variation in the analyzed animals reflected the genetic differences among sires. Pedigree records indicated that the average co-ancestry coefficient between sires used in the breeding farm was 0.015 corresponding to second cousin. This level of kinship among sires is acceptable for producing HKDs that maintain genetic variation.
© 2019 Japanese Society of Animal Science.
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Publication Date: 2019-11-21 PubMed ID: 31755177DOI: 10.1111/asj.13318Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research paper explores the strategy of regularly changing the sire (male parent) in a breeding farm to maintain genetic variation within a herd of Hokkaido Native Horses.

Objective and Method

  • The researchers aimed to determine whether swapping the male horse (sire) in a breeding farm on a regular basis helps maintain the genetic variation among the offsprings – the Hokkaido Native Horses (HKDs).
  • To this end, they analyzed the genotypes of 31 microsatellite markers (specific DNA sequences that reveal genetic diversity) in 207 animals bred in a specific farm, where the sire was replaced every three to five years.

Findings

  • The study found that the average number of different alleles (forms of a gene) was 5.97, a figure similar to previous reports, implying a reasonable degree of genetic diversity.
  • The scientists calculated the mean observed heterozygosity to be 0.74, higher than the expected heterozygosity of 0.69. Heterozygosity measures the genetic variation in a population, and in this case, it indicated that the farmed animals had a prominent genetic diversity.
  • The negative value of F (-0.07) suggested frequent outbreeding (mating of unrelated individuals) among the horses, contributing to the maintenance of genetic variation.

Genetic Structure and Pedigree Analysis

  • Genetic structure analysis estimated six different genetic subpopulations among the HKDs. Over half of each of these subpopulations was found to be descendants from one of the sires, implying that the genetic diversity stemmed from variations among the sires.
  • Evaluation of pedigrees showed that the average co-ancestry coefficient between the sires (indicating the fraction of genetic material they share) was only 0.015, equaling the relationship level of second cousins.
  • This low kinship level among the sires is appropriate for breeding HKDs while preserving their genetic diversity.

Conclusion

  • Ultimately, the study confirmed that changing the sire regularly in a breeding farm helps maintain a considerable degree of genetic variation among the Hokkaido Native Horses.

Cite This Article

APA
Amano T, Tozaki T, Takasu M, Onogi A, Yamada F, Kawai M, Ueda J. (2019). Changes of sires in a breeding farm enables maintenance of DNA-level genetic variation in a produced herd of Hokkaido Native Horses. Anim Sci J, 91(1), e13318. https://doi.org/10.1111/asj.13318

Publication

Animal science journal = Nihon chikusan Gakkaiho
ISSN: 1740-0929
NlmUniqueID: 100956805
Country: Australia
Language: English
Volume: 91
Issue: 1
Pages: e13318

Researcher Affiliations

Amano, Tomoko
  • College of Agriculture, Food and Environment Sciences, Department of Sustainable Agriculture, Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Rakuno Gakuen University, Hokkaido, Japan.
Tozaki, Teruaki
  • Genetic Analysis Department, Laboratory of Racing Chemistry, Tochigi, Japan.
  • Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan.
Takasu, Masaki
  • Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan.
Onogi, Akio
  • Department of Agricultural and Environmental Biology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Yamada, Fumihiro
  • Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan.
Kawai, Masahito
  • Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan.
Ueda, Junji
  • College of Agriculture, Food and Environment Sciences, Department of Sustainable Agriculture, Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Rakuno Gakuen University, Hokkaido, Japan.

MeSH Terms

  • Alleles
  • Animals
  • Breeding / methods
  • Cattle / genetics
  • Cyclophosphamide / analogs & derivatives
  • DNA / genetics
  • Farms
  • Genetic Variation
  • Heterozygote
  • Japan
  • Male
  • Microsatellite Repeats / genetics
  • Time Factors

Grant Funding

  • Long-term Residency Research of Rakuno Gakuen University
  • Grant-in-aid from Kiso Town, Japan

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Citations

This article has been cited 1 times.
  1. Saito I, Nakamura K, Tozaki T, Hano K, Takasu M. Genetic characterization of Japanese native horse breeds by genotyping variants that are associated with phenotypic traits. J Equine Sci 2023 Dec;34(4):115-120.
    doi: 10.1294/jes.34.115pubmed: 38274555google scholar: lookup
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