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Journal of genetics and genomics = Yi chuan xue bao2007; 34(8); 720-729; doi: 10.1016/S1673-8527(07)60081-2

High altitude adaptation and phylogenetic analysis of Tibetan horse based on the mitochondrial genome.

Abstract: To investigate genetic mechanisms of high altitude adaptations of animals living in the Tibetan Plateau, three mitochondrial genomes (mt-genome) of Tibetan horses living in Naqu (4,500 m) of Tibetan, Zhongdian (3,300 m) and Deqin (3,100 m) of Yunnan province were sequenced. The structures and lengths of these three mt-genomes are similar to the Cheju horse, which is related to Tibetan horses, but little shorter than the Swedish horse. The pair-wise identity of these three horses on nucleotide level is more than 99.3%. When the gene encoding the mitochondrial protein of Tibetan horses was analyzed, we found that NADH6 has higher non-synonymous mutation rate in all of three Tibetan horses. This implies that NADH6 may play a role in Tibetan horses' high altitude adaptation. NADH6 is one of the subunits of the complex I in the respiratory chain. Furthermore, 7 D-loop sequences of Tibetan horse from different areas were sequenced, and the phylogeny tree was constructed to study the origin and evolutionary history of Tibetan horses. The result showed that the genetic diverse was high among Tibetan horses. All of Tibetan horses from Naqu were clustered into one clade, and Tibetan horses from Zhongdian and Deqin were clustered into others clades. The first molecular evidence of Tibetan horses indicated in this study is that Tibetan horse population might have multiple origins.
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Publication Date: 2007-08-21 PubMed ID: 17707216DOI: 10.1016/S1673-8527(07)60081-2Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Non-U.S. Gov't

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.

This research investigated the genetics of Tibetan horses to understand how they have adapted to high altitudes. The study found a specific gene in these horses that might play a critical role in their adaptation to high altitudes. The research also reveals that the Tibetan horse population might have originated from multiple sources.

Genetic Analysis of Tibetan Horses

  • The researchers sequenced three mitochondrial genomes (mt-genome) of Tibetan horses living at different altitudes: Naqu (4,500 m), Zhongdian (3,300 m), and Deqin (3,100 m).
  • The structures and lengths of these genomes were found to be similar to the Cheju horse (related to Tibetan horses) but slightly shorter than the Swedish horse.
  • Comparative analysis at the nucleotide level revealed a very high identity score of over 99.3% amongst the three mt-genomes.

Role of NADH6 Gene in High Altitude Adaptation

  • Upon analyzing the gene encoding the mitochondrial protein of these Tibetan horses, NADH6 was identified as having a higher rate of non-synonymous mutations in all three horses.
  • This suggests that NADH6, which is a subunit of complex I in the respiratory chain, could potentially contribute to the high altitude adaptation of Tibetan horses.

Phylogenetic Analysis and Origin of Tibetan Horses

  • Researchers sequenced 7 D-loop sequences of Tibetan horses from different regions and used this data to construct a phylogenetic tree to study the origin and evolutionary history of these animals.
  • The results revealed a high level of genetic diversity among Tibetan horses. Horses from the same region were found to cluster together in the results, forming distinct clades for horses from Naqu, Zhongdian, and Deqin.
  • This research yielded the first molecular evidence indicating that the Tibetan horse population might have multiple origins.

Cite This Article

APA
Xu S, Luosang J, Hua S, He J, Ciren A, Wang W, Tong X, Liang Y, Wang J, Zheng X. (2007). High altitude adaptation and phylogenetic analysis of Tibetan horse based on the mitochondrial genome. J Genet Genomics, 34(8), 720-729. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1673-8527(07)60081-2

Publication

Journal of genetics and genomics = Yi chuan xue bao
ISSN: 1673-8527
NlmUniqueID: 101304616
Country: China
Language: English
Volume: 34
Issue: 8
Pages: 720-729

Researcher Affiliations

Xu, Shuqing
  • Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China.
Luosang, Jiangbai
    Hua, Sang
      He, Jian
        Ciren, Asan
          Wang, Wei
            Tong, Xiaomei
              Liang, Yu
                Wang, Jian
                  Zheng, Xiaoguang

                    MeSH Terms

                    • Adaptation, Biological / genetics
                    • Altitude
                    • Animals
                    • Base Composition
                    • DNA, Mitochondrial
                    • Evolution, Molecular
                    • Genetic Variation
                    • Genome, Mitochondrial / genetics
                    • Horses / classification
                    • Horses / genetics
                    • Horses / physiology
                    • Mutation
                    • Open Reading Frames
                    • Phylogeny
                    • Sequence Analysis, DNA
                    • Tibet

                    Citations

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