Mitochondrial DNA D-loop sequence variation in maternal lineages of Iranian native horses.
Abstract: To understand the origin and genetic diversity of Iranian native horses, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) D-loop sequences were generated for 95 horses from five breeds sampled in eight geographical locations in Iran. Sequence analysis of a 247-bp segment revealed a total of 27 haplotypes with 38 polymorphic sites. Twelve of 19 mtDNA haplogroups were identified in the samples. The most common haplotypes were found within haplogroup X2. Within-population haplotype and nucleotide diversities of the five breeds ranged from 0.838 ± 0.056 to 0.974 ± 0.022 and 0.011 ± 0.002 to 0.021 ± 0.001 respectively, indicating a relatively high genetic diversity in Iranian horses. The identification of several ancient sequences common between the breeds suggests that the lineage of the majority of Iranian horse breeds is old and obviously originated from a vast number of mares. We found in all native Iranian horse breeds lineages of the haplogroups D and K, which is concordant with the previous findings of Asian origins of these haplogroups. The presence of haplotypes E and K in our study also is consistent with a geographical west-east direction of increasing frequency of these haplotypes and a genetic fusion in Iranian horse breeds.
© 2012 The Authors, Animal Genetics © 2012 Stichting International Foundation for Animal Genetics.
Publication Date: 2012-06-26 PubMed ID: 22732008DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2052.2012.02389.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The research study deciphers the genetic origin and diversity of Iranian native horses through the study of mitochondrial DNA sequences. The study concludes that Iranian horse breeds have ancient lineages, are highly genetically diverse, and show evidence of both Asian origins and a geographical west-east gradient in the frequency of certain genetic sequences.
Sample Collection and DNA Sequencing
- Researchers collected mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) D-loop sequences from 95 Iranian horses from five different breeds located in eight different geographical locations across Iran.
- The analysis focused on a specific 247-bp segment of the D-loop sequence.
Sequence Analysis and Haplogroups Identification
- Analysis on the selected sequence section unveiled 27 distinct haplotypes, genetic markers used to track ancestry, distributed across 38 polymorphic sites.
- Among the 19 recognized mtDNA haplogroups, 12 were being identified in the collected samples.
- Haplogroup X2 demonstrated the highest occurrence of common haplotypes.
Genetic Diversity and Lineage Identification
- For each of the five studied breeds, the scientists measured within-population haplotype diversity and nucleotide diversity. These ranged from 0.838 ± 0.056 to 0.974 ± 0.022 and 0.011 ± 0.002 to 0.021 ± 0.001 respectively, indicating a high genetic variability among Iranian horses.
- This high genetic diversity, along with the presence of several common ancient sequences across the breeds, alludes to the old lineage of Iranian horses, originating from a large number of mares.
Asian Origins and Geographical Genetic Fusion
- The study identifies lineages of both haplogroups D and K in all native Iranian horse breeds, which resonates with previous studies indicating an Asian origin for these haplogroups.
- Furthermore, the detection of haplotypes E and K supports the hypothesis of a geographical west-east gradient of increasing frequency for these haplotypes, indicating a genetic fusion in the Iranian horse breeds.
This study offers significant insights into the ancestry, genetic diversity, and historical breeding patterns of Iranian horses, improving our broader understanding of horse evolution and breeding worldwide.
Cite This Article
APA
Moridi M, Masoudi AA, Vaez Torshizi R, Hill EW.
(2012).
Mitochondrial DNA D-loop sequence variation in maternal lineages of Iranian native horses.
Anim Genet, 44(2), 209-213.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2052.2012.02389.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Base Sequence
- DNA, Mitochondrial / genetics
- Demography
- Genetic Variation
- Genetics, Population
- Haplotypes / genetics
- Horses / genetics
- Iran
- Molecular Sequence Data
- Phylogeny
- Sequence Alignment
- Sequence Analysis, DNA
Citations
This article has been cited 13 times.- Kusliy MA, Yurlova AA, Neumestova AI, Vorobieva NV, Gutorova NV, Molodtseva AS, Trifonov VA, Popova KO, Polosmak NV, Molodin VI, Vasiliev SK, Semibratov VP, Iderkhangai TO, Kovalev AA, Erdenebaatar D, Graphodatsky AS, Tishkin AA. Genetic History of the Altai Breed Horses: From Ancient Times to Modernity. Genes (Basel) 2023 Jul 26;14(8).
- Sheikh A. Mitochondrial DNA sequencing of Kehilan and Hamdani horses from Saudi Arabia. Saudi J Biol Sci 2023 Sep;30(9):103741.
- Mousavi SF, Razmkabir M, Rostamzadeh J, Seyedabadi HR, Naboulsi R, Petersen JL, Lindgren G. Genetic diversity and signatures of selection in four indigenous horse breeds of Iran. Heredity (Edinb) 2023 Aug;131(2):96-108.
- Nikbakhsh M, Varkoohi S, Seyedabadi HR. Mitochondrial DNA D-loop hyper-variable region 1 variability in Kurdish horse breed. Vet Med Sci 2023 Mar;9(2):721-728.
- Csizmár N, Mihók S, Jávor A, Kusza S. Genetic analysis of the Hungarian draft horse population using partial mitochondrial DNA D-loop sequencing. PeerJ 2018;6:e4198.
- 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.
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- Cieslak J, Wodas L, Borowska A, Cothran EG, Khanshour AM, Mackowski M. Characterization of the Polish Primitive Horse (Konik) maternal lines using mitochondrial D-loop sequence variation. PeerJ 2017;5:e3714.
- Sziszkosz N, Mihók S, Jávor A, Kusza S. Genetic diversity of the Hungarian Gidran horse in two mitochondrial DNA markers. PeerJ 2016;4:e1894.
- Cardinali I, Lancioni H, Giontella A, Capodiferro MR, Capomaccio S, Buttazzoni L, Biggio GP, Cherchi R, Albertini E, Olivieri A, Cappelli K, Achilli A, Silvestrelli M. An Overview of Ten Italian Horse Breeds through Mitochondrial DNA. PLoS One 2016;11(4):e0153004.
- Agbani A, Aminou O, Machmoum M, Germot A, Badaoui B, Petit D, Piro M. A Systematic Literature Review of Mitochondrial DNA Analysis for Horse Genetic Diversity. Animals (Basel) 2025 Mar 20;15(6).
- Ahlawat S, Sharma U, Niranjan SK, Chhabra P, Arora R, Sharma R, Singh KV, Vijh RK, Mehta SC. Unraveling the maternal heritage: identifying the complex origins of indigenous Indian horse and pony breeds through mitochondrial genome analysis. Mamm Genome 2025 Mar;36(1):118-128.
- Orazymbetova Z, Ualiyeva D, Dossybayev K, Torekhanov A, Sydykov D, Mussayeva A, Baktybayev G. Genetic Diversity of Kazakhstani Equus caballus (Linnaeus, 1758) Horse Breeds Inferred from Microsatellite Markers. Vet Sci 2023 Sep 30;10(10).
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