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Home / Equine Research Bank / Animals (Basel) / Dynamics of the Inbreeding Coefficient and Homozygosity in T...
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2020; 10(7); doi: 10.3390/ani10071217

Dynamics of the Inbreeding Coefficient and Homozygosity in Thoroughbred Horses in Russia.

Abstract: The Thoroughbred (TB) horse has hugely impacted the development of horse breeding around the world. This breed has unique genetic qualities due to having had a closed studbook for approximately 300 years. In Russia, TBs have been bred since the second half of the 18th century. Here, we analyzed the genetic diversity and the inbreeding level in TB horses (n = 9680) for the period from 1990 to 2018 using polymorphisms of 17 microsatellite loci. We found that the genetic structure of the TB breed in Russia is represented by 100 alleles of panel STR (short tandem repeat) loci and has been stable for the past three decades. The conducted monitoring revealed a slight increase in the Wright's inbreeding coefficient in all age and sex groups of TB horses (stallions, broodmares, and foals) from 0.68% to 0.90%, which was followed by a decrease in the degree of heterozygosity, Ho, from 68.5% to 67.6%. The Spearman's rank correlation coefficient between the level of inbreeding and the degree of homozygosity was estimated (r = 0.022; p > 0.05). The obtained data on the DNA genotypes of horses of different breeds provide a unique base for the evaluation of genetic variability and the control of genetic variability of horses in selection programs.
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Publication Date: 2020-07-17 PubMed ID: 32708952PubMed Central: PMC7401591DOI: 10.3390/ani10071217Google 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 investigates the genetic diversity and the level of inbreeding in Thoroughbred horses in Russia, from 1990 to 2018. The data suggests that the genetic make-up of the breed had remained stable during this time, with slight increases in the inbreeding coefficient and decreases in heterozygosity.

Understanding the Dynamics of Genetic Diversity and Inbreeding in the Russian Thoroughbred Horse

  • The research involved an exploration of the genetic diversity in Thoroughbred (TB) horses, a breed that has greatly influenced horse breeding worldwide due to its unique genetic qualities. In Russia, breeding these horses started in the second half of the 18th century.
  • Data from 9,680 TB horses from the 1990-2018 period was analysed. The researchers used 17 microsatellite loci (specific sections of DNA) polymorphisms (multiple forms of genes within the population) to perform this.

Analysis and Findings

  • The genetic structure of the Russian TB breed is consistent over these three decades. It is represented by 100 alleles of panel STR (short tandem repeat) loci. An allele is an alternative version of a gene. STR loci are places on the DNA where the sequences repeat in a specific order.
  • Monitoring indicated a slight rise in Wright’s inbreeding coefficient across all groups of TB horses (including stallions, broodmares, and foals) – from 0.68% to 0.90%. This coefficient measures the likelihood of parents sharing an allele that is identical through descent.
  • Alongside the increase in inbreeding, the degree of heterozygosity, Ho, dropped from 68.5% to 67.6%. Heterozygosity measures the variability of genes within an individual or population.
  • The research calculated a Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient to assess the relation between the level of inbreeding and the degree of homozygosity (having identical versions of a gene). The estimated coefficient was r = 0.022; p > 0.05. This implies that the correlation was not statistically significant.

Conclusion and Impact

  • The study’s data on horses’ DNA genotypes across different breeds creates a valuable resource for evaluating genetic variability. It also aids the control of genetic diversity in future horse breeding selection programs.

Cite This Article

APA
Kalashnikov V, Khrabrova L, Blohina N, Zaitcev A, Kalashnikova T. (2020). Dynamics of the Inbreeding Coefficient and Homozygosity in Thoroughbred Horses in Russia. Animals (Basel), 10(7). https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10071217

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 10
Issue: 7

Researcher Affiliations

Kalashnikov, Valery
  • The All-Russian Research Institute for Horse Breeding, Ryazan region, 391105 Rybnoe, Russia.
Khrabrova, Lyudmila
  • The All-Russian Research Institute for Horse Breeding, Ryazan region, 391105 Rybnoe, Russia.
Blohina, Nina
  • The All-Russian Research Institute for Horse Breeding, Ryazan region, 391105 Rybnoe, Russia.
Zaitcev, Alexander
  • The All-Russian Research Institute for Horse Breeding, Ryazan region, 391105 Rybnoe, Russia.
Kalashnikova, Tatyana
  • The All-Russian Research Institute for Horse Breeding, Ryazan region, 391105 Rybnoe, Russia.

Grant Funding

  • 1 / CSRD VA

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 1 times.
  1. Cozzi MC, Valiati P, Longeri M, Ferreira C, Abreu Ferreira S. Genetic Variability Trend of Lusitano Horse Breed Reared in Italy. Animals (Basel) 2022 Jan 1;12(1).
    doi: 10.3390/ani12010098pubmed: 35011204google scholar: lookup
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