Distribution of the mutant allele of the DMRT3 gene associated with ambling gaits in Japanese native horse populations.
Abstract: There are currently eight native horse populations in Japan, namely, Hokkaido, Kiso, Noma, Taishu, Misaki, Tokara, Miyako, and Yonaguni horses. Since locomotion traits, including gaitedness, are important for riding and packing horses, the genetic properties associated with these traits could be informative for understanding the characteristics and history of these horses. In this study, we investigated the distribution of the mutant allele of DMRT3 gene (DMRT3:p.Ser301Ter) associated with ambling gaits in the Japanese native horse. We also examined haplotypes of SNPs in the 83-kb region including DMRT3 gene by genotyping four SNPs in this region. The results revealed the presence of DMRT3:p.Ser301Ter in the Hokkaido and Yonaguni populations at allele frequencies of 0.18 and 0.02, respectively, and the observed haplotype associated with DMRT3:p.Ser301Ter was estimated as the most common haplotype in the horses in the world. Since DMRT3:p.Ser301Ter has been hypothesized to spread across Eurasian continent from Medieval England after 850 to 900 CE, our findings of the presence of DMRT3:p.Ser301Ter with the common haplotype in the Japanese native horses will provide a new insight into the history of the Japanese native horse, such as considerable level of gene flow from Eurasian continent after 850 to 900 CE.
© 2020 Japanese Society of Animal Science.
Publication Date: 2020-08-08 PubMed ID: 32761714DOI: 10.1111/asj.13431Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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This research article investigates the existence and distribution of a specific mutation known as DMRT3:p.Ser301Ter in eight native horse populations in Japan. This mutation has been associated with ambling gaits. The researchers found the mutation present in the Hokkaido and Yonaguni populations, leading to insights regarding genetic influences from outside Japan after 850-900 CE.
Objective and Methodology
- The study aimed to explore the presence and distribution of a particular genetic mutation in Japan’s native horse populations. The mutation, known as DMRT3:p.Ser301Ter, has been associated with ambling gaits, which are locomotion traits essential for riding and pack horses.
- The researchers thoroughly examined genetic information from the eight main native horse populations in Japan, which include Hokkaido, Kiso, Noma, Taishu, Misaki, Tokara, Miyako, and Yonaguni horses.
- In addition to directly searching for the mutation, the team also examined haplotypes of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs). These are variations at a single position in a DNA sequence among individuals. By investigating these SNPs found in an 83-kb region which includes the DMRT3 gene, the researchers aimed to form a better picture of the mutation’s presence and distribution.
Results
- The DMRT3:p.Ser301Ter mutation was found in Hokkaido and Yonaguni horse populations, with allele frequencies of 0.18 and 0.02, respectively. The term allele frequency refers to how common an allele is in a population. In this case, it means that the mutation was found in approximately 18% of observations in the Hokkaido population and 2% in the Yonaguni.
- The observed haplotype, which is a group of genes that are inherited together from a single parent, associated with DMRT3:p.Ser301Ter, was identified as the most common haplotype globally among horses.
Implications and Conclusions
- It has been hypothesized previously that the DMRT3:p.Ser301Ter mutation spread across the Eurasian continent from Medieval England after 850 to 900 CE. The presence of this mutation in Japanese horse populations supports the idea of considerable gene flow from the Eurasian continent to Japan around that period, bearing testimony to transcontinental interactions and influences.
- Overall, the study enhances the understanding of the genetic history of the Japanese horse and can contribute to our knowledge of horse evolutionary genetics more widely.
Cite This Article
APA
Chandra Paul R, Ba Nguyen T, Okuda Y, Nu Anh Le T, Mosese Dau Tabuyaqona J, Konishi Y, Kawamoto Y, Nozawa K, Kunieda T.
(2020).
Distribution of the mutant allele of the DMRT3 gene associated with ambling gaits in Japanese native horse populations.
Anim Sci J, 91(1), e13431.
https://doi.org/10.1111/asj.13431 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan.
- Faculty of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Patuakhali Science and Technology University, Barishal, Bangladesh.
- Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan.
- Faculty of Agriculture, An Giang University, An Giang, Vietnam.
- Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
- Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan.
- Okayama University of Science, Okayama, Japan.
- Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan.
- Faculty of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, University of Agriculture and Forestry, Hue University, Hue, Vietnam.
- Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan.
- Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan.
- Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Aichi, Japan.
- Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, Tokyo, Japan.
- Faculty of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Patuakhali Science and Technology University, Barishal, Bangladesh.
- Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan.
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Okayama University of Science, Imabari, Japan.
MeSH Terms
- Alleles
- Animals
- Gait / genetics
- Genetic Association Studies
- Horses / genetics
- Horses / physiology
- Japan
- Mutation
- Transcription Factors / genetics
Grant Funding
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
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Citations
This article has been cited 4 times.- Sigurðardóttir H, Ablondi M, Kristjansson T, Lindgren G, Eriksson S. Genetic diversity and signatures of selection in Icelandic horses and Exmoor ponies. BMC Genomics 2024 Aug 8;25(1):772.
- 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.
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- Vincelette A. The Characteristics, Distribution, Function, and Origin of Alternative Lateral Horse Gaits. Animals (Basel) 2023 Aug 8;13(16).
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