Genetic diversity in the Pantaneiro horse breed assessed using microsatellite DNA markers.
Abstract: The genetic variability for a sample of 227 animals from three populations of Pantaneiro horses was estimated using data from 10 microsatellite loci. The number of alleles and the proportion of heterozygosity indicated high variability. A total of 91 alleles were found, with a significantly high mean number of alleles. The mean polymorphic information content was 0.7 and the paternity exclusion probability was 99.3%. The inbreeding coefficient (F(IS)) was low for the three populations: Ipiranga (F(IS) = 0.147), Nova Esperança (F(IS) = 0.094) and Promissão (F(IS) = 0.108). Genetic differentiation among all three populations was low (F(ST) = 0.008 to 0.064). Three methods were used to test for a recent bottleneck effect. The graphical method and the Wilcoxon test using the stepwise mutation model showed no bottleneck pattern for any of the populations. The test by two-phase mutation model showed genetic signatures of bottleneck for Ipiranga and Promissão. When we consider standard deviation value for Nova Esperança, the M-statistic detected a bottleneck pattern, but this result could be explained by a sample size effect. Therefore, there is no immediate cause for concern regarding loss of variation within the breed.
Publication Date: 2008-03-18 PubMed ID: 18551391DOI: 10.4238/vol7-1gmr367Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The research article examines the genetic diversity within three populations of the Pantaneiro horse breed using microsatellite DNA markers. It concludes that the breed has high genetic variability with no immediate concerns about a loss of variation affecting its overall health or survival.
Background
- The authors set out to look at the genetic variability of Pantaneiro horses. This breed, native to Brazil, has historically been used for various purposes such as transportation and cattle herding.
- The study uses data derived from microsatellite DNA markers. Microsatellites are small regions of repetitive DNA which are used as a tool in genetics research because they exhibit a high degree of length variability. They are especially beneficial for assessing genetic variations within species.
Methods
- A sample size of 227 Pantaneiro horses from three different populations (Ipiranga, Nova Esperança, and Promissão) was used. Researchers extracted DNA and identified 10 microsatellite loci to conduct their analysis.
- With this data, the team estimated the number of alleles (different versions of a gene) and the proportion of heterozygosity (the existence of different alleles at a gene locus).
Results
- High genetic variability was observed in the Pantaneiro horse breed. A total of 91 different alleles were found across the 10 loci, indicating a large amount of genetic diversity.
- The mean polymorphic information content was 0.7 and the probability that a random horse could be excluded as a parent based on these markers was 99.3%, both suggesting a high level of genetic variability.
- The inbreeding coefficient was low for all three populations, indicating limited inbreeding which is positive for maintaining genetic diversity.
- There was a low level of genetic differentiation between the three populations, suggesting they are genetically similar with minor differences.
Testing for Bottlenecks
- The researchers also tested for genetic bottlenecks – severe reductions in population size that can decrease genetic variation and increase the risk of extinction. Three different methods were used: a graphical method, the Wilcoxon test with stepwise mutation model, and a test by a two-phase mutation model.
- No evidence of a bottleneck was found using the graphic method and Wilcoxon test. The two-phase mutation model indicated a bottleneck in two populations, but this was suggested to possibly be due to the effect of sample size. The M-statistic for the Nova Esperança population also suggested a bottleneck, but the researchers attributed this to the effect of sample size as well.
- Based on these results, the authors conclude that there is currently no imminent risk of losing genetic variation in the Pantaneiro horse breed.
Cite This Article
APA
Giacomoni EH, Fernández-Stolz GP, Freitas TR.
(2008).
Genetic diversity in the Pantaneiro horse breed assessed using microsatellite DNA markers.
Genet Mol Res, 7(1), 261-270.
https://doi.org/10.4238/vol7-1gmr367 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética e Biologia Molecular, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Instituto de Biociências, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil. elise.giacomoni@ufrgs.br
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Brazil
- Gene Frequency
- Genetic Variation
- Genotype
- Geography
- Heterozygote
- Horses / classification
- Horses / genetics
- Microsatellite Repeats / genetics
Citations
This article has been cited 4 times.- An J, Tseveen K, Oyungerel B, Kong HS. Analysis of genetic diversity and structure of Mongolian horse using microsatellite markers. J Anim Sci Technol 2022 Nov;64(6):1226-1236.
- Yun J, Oyungerel B, Kong HS. Genetic diversity and population structure of Mongolian regional horses with 14 microsatellite markers. Anim Biosci 2022 Aug;35(8):1121-1128.
- Ianella P, Albuquerque MSM, Paiva SR, Egito AA, Almeida LD, Sereno FTPS, Carvalho LFR, Mariante AS, McManus CM. D-loop haplotype diversity in Brazilian horse breeds. Genet Mol Biol 2017 Jul-Sep;40(3):604-609.
- Seo JH, Park KD, Lee HK, Kong HS. Genetic diversity of Halla horses using microsatellite markers. J Anim Sci Technol 2016;58:40.
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