Mitochondrial DNA lineages of Italian Giara and Sarcidano horses.
Abstract: Giara and Sarcidano are 2 of the 15 extant native Italian horse breeds with limited dispersal capability that originated from a larger number of individuals. The 2 breeds live in two distinct isolated locations on the island of Sardinia. To determine the genetic structure and evolutionary history of these 2 Sardinian breeds, the first hypervariable segment of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was sequenced and analyzed in 40 Giara and Sarcidano horses and compared with publicly available mtDNA data from 43 Old World breeds. Four different analyses, including genetic distance, analysis of molecular variance, haplotype sharing, and clustering methods, were used to study the genetic relationships between the Sardinian and other horse breeds. The analyses yielded similar results, and the FST values indicated that a high percentage of the total genetic variation was explained by between-breed differences. Consistent with their distinct phenotypes and geographic isolation, the two Sardinian breeds were shown to consist of 2 distinct gene pools that had no gene flow between them. Giara horses were clearly separated from the other breeds examined and showed traces of ancient separation from horses of other breeds that share the same mitochondrial lineage. On the other hand, the data from the Sarcidano horses fit well with variation among breeds from the Iberian Peninsula and North-West Europe: genetic relationships among Sarcidano and the other breeds are consistent with the documented history of this breed.
Publication Date: 2014-10-20 PubMed ID: 25366719DOI: 10.4238/2014.October.20.1Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The research article discusses the study of genetic structure and evolutionary history of two native Italian horse breeds, Giara and Sarcidano, through the sequencing and analysis of mitochondrial DNA. The study showed that these two breeds, despite their geographic proximity, have distinct gene pools and showed no gene flow between them.
Study Design and Methodology
- The research involves the examination of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in 40 horses of the Giara and Sarcidano breeds.
- The first hypervariable segment of the mtDNA was sequenced and analysed.
- This data was compared with publicly available mtDNA data from 43 different Old World horse breeds.
- Four different analyses were conducted to study the genetic relationships between the breeds: genetic distance, analysis of molecular variance, haplotype sharing, and clustering methods.
Results and Findings
- All four analyses yielded similar results, indicating the reliability of the data and methodology.
- The results inferred that a significant portion of the total genetic variation was due to differences between breeds.
- The study established that the Giara and Sarcidano breeds have no gene flow between them, meaning they have distinct gene pools.
- Despite their geographic proximity, the genetic isolation of these two breeds is consistent with their distinct physical traits and their isolation in different areas of Sardinia.
Specific Breed Findings
- The Giara horses were distinctly separated from the other breeds investigated and showed signs of ancient separation from horses of other breeds sharing the same mitochondrial lineage.
- The genetic data from Sarcidano horses aligned well with the variation seen in breeds from the Iberian Peninsula and North-West Europe.
- The genetic relationships between the Sarcidano and other breeds align with the documented history of the Sarcidano breed.
Cite This Article
APA
(2014).
Mitochondrial DNA lineages of Italian Giara and Sarcidano horses.
Genet Mol Res, 13(4), 8241-8257.
https://doi.org/10.4238/2014.October.20.1 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Breeding
- Cluster Analysis
- DNA, Mitochondrial
- Gene Frequency
- Genetic Variation
- Genetics, Population
- Haplotypes
- Horses / genetics
- Italy
Citations
This article has been cited 10 times.- Cosso G, Carcangiu V, Luridiana S, Fiori S, Columbano N, Masala G, Careddu GM, Sanna Passino E, Mura MC. Characterization of the Sarcidano Horse Coat Color Genes. Animals (Basel) 2022 Oct 5;12(19).
- Satta V, Mereu P, Barbato M, Pirastru M, Bassu G, Manca L, Naitana S, Leoni GG. Genetic characterization and implications for conservation of the last autochthonous Mouflon population in Europe. Sci Rep 2021 Jul 19;11(1):14729.
- Kusliy MA, Vorobieva NV, Tishkin AA, Makunin AI, Druzhkova AS, Trifonov VA, Iderkhangai TO, Graphodatsky AS. Traces of Late Bronze and Early Iron Age Mongolian Horse Mitochondrial Lineages in Modern Populations. Genes (Basel) 2021 Mar 12;12(3).
- Giontella A, Cardinali I, Pieramati C, Cherchi R, Biggio GP, Achilli A, Silvestrelli M, Lancioni H. A Genetic Window on Sardinian Native Horse Breeds through Uniparental Molecular Systems. Animals (Basel) 2020 Sep 1;10(9).
- Lancioni H, Cardinali I, Giontella A, Antognoni MT, Miglio A. Mitochondrial DNA variation in the Italian Heavy Draught Horse. PeerJ 2020;8:e8996.
- Mereu P, Pirastru M, Barbato M, Satta V, Hadjisterkotis E, Manca L, Naitana S, Leoni GG. Identification of an ancestral haplotype in the mitochondrial phylogeny of the ovine haplogroup B. PeerJ 2019;7:e7895.
- Barbato M, Hailer F, Orozco-terWengel P, Kijas J, Mereu P, Cabras P, Mazza R, Pirastru M, Bruford MW. Genomic signatures of adaptive introgression from European mouflon into domestic sheep. Sci Rep 2017 Aug 8;7(1):7623.
- 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).
- Mura MC, Carcangiu V, Cosso G, Columbano N, Sanna Passino E, Luridiana S. Discrepancies between Genetic and Visual Coat Color Assignment in Sarcidano Horse. Animals (Basel) 2024 Feb 6;14(4).
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