FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 10000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2022; 12(19); doi: 10.3390/ani12192579

Y Chromosome Haplotypes Enlighten Origin, Influence, and Breeding History of North African Barb Horses.

Abstract: In horses, demographic patterns are complex due to historical migrations and eventful breeding histories. Particularly puzzling is the ancestry of the North African horse, a founding horse breed, shaped by numerous influences throughout history. A genetic marker particularly suitable to investigate the paternal demographic history of populations is the non-recombining male-specific region of the Y chromosome (MSY). Using a recently established horse MSY haplotype (HT) topology and KASP™ genotyping, we illustrate MSY HT spectra of 119 Barb and Arab-Barb males, collected from the Maghreb region and European subpopulations. All detected HTs belonged to the Crown haplogroup, and the broad MSY spectrum reflects the wide variety of influential stallions throughout the breed's history. Distinct HTs and regional disparities were characterized and a remarkable number of early introduced lineages were observed. The data indicate recent refinement with Thoroughbred and Arabian patrilines, while 57% of the dataset supports historical migrations between North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula. In the Barb horse, we detected the HT linked to Godolphin Arabian, one of the Thoroughbred founders. Hence, we shed new light on the question of the ancestry of one Thoroughbred patriline. We show the strength of the horse Y chromosome as a genealogical tool, enlighten recent paternal history of North African horses, and set the foundation for future studies on the breed and the formation of conservation breeding programs.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2022-09-27 PubMed ID: 36230320PubMed Central: PMC9559282DOI: 10.3390/ani12192579Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
LinkedInCopy
  • Journal Article

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 focuses on understanding the ancestry of the North African horse, particularly the Barb Horse, by studying specific markers on the Y chromosome. This is done using a recently established horse MSY haplotype topology and KASP™ genotyping. The findings shed light on the breeding history of the horses and the influence of stallions over time. They also help answer questions about the ancestry of one Thoroughbred patriline and prepare groundwork for future studies and conservation breeding programs.

Objective of the research

  • The primary objective of the study was to investigate the paternal demographic history of the North African horse, specifically focusing on the Barb breed. They chose to study the non-recombining male-specific region of the Y chromosome (MSY), which is an ideal genetic marker for such investigations.

Methods used

  • The scientists used a horse MSY haplotype (HT) topology that was recently established alongside KASP™ genotyping. This involved collecting genetic samples from 119 Barb and Arab-Barb males from the Maghreb region and European subpopulations.

Results and findings

  • The research revealed that all detected haplotypes belonged to the Crown haplogroup. It found a wide spectrum in the MSY, indicating a range of influential stallions throughout the breed’s history.
  • Distinct haplotypes and regional disparities were characterized. A notable number of early-introduced lineages were observed.
  • The data suggested a recent refinement of the breed with Thoroughbred and Arabian patrilines. However, more than half (57%) of the data set reaffirms historical migrations between North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula.
  • The researchers identified the same haplotype in the Barb Horse that is linked to the Godolphin Arabian, one of the founders of the Thoroughbred breed. This finding adds to our understanding of the ancestry of Thoroughbred patriline.

Implications

  • This research demonstrates the effectiveness of the horse Y chromosome as a genealogical tool to study the history of horse breeds – especially in terms of paternal influence.
  • The study illuminates the recent paternal history of the North African horses and lays the foundation for future investigations into the breed.
  • The findings from this study can help form effective conservation breeding programs targeted at preserving the unique genetic lines of the Barb Horse and other North African horse breeds.

Cite This Article

APA
Radovic L, Remer V, Krcal C, Rigler D, Brem G, Rayane A, Driss K, Benamar M, Machmoum M, Piro M, Krischke D, Butler-Wemken IV, Wallner B. (2022). Y Chromosome Haplotypes Enlighten Origin, Influence, and Breeding History of North African Barb Horses. Animals (Basel), 12(19). https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12192579

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 12
Issue: 19

Researcher Affiliations

Radovic, Lara
  • Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1210 Vienna, Austria.
  • Vienna Graduate School of Population Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1210 Vienna, Austria.
Remer, Viktoria
  • Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1210 Vienna, Austria.
Krcal, Carina
  • Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1210 Vienna, Austria.
Rigler, Doris
  • Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1210 Vienna, Austria.
Brem, Gottfried
  • Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1210 Vienna, Austria.
Rayane, Ahmed
  • World Barb Horse Organization O.M.C.B., Organisation Mondiale Du Cheval Barbe, 148 Avenue de l'ALN Caroubier Hussein Dey Alger, Algiers 16000, Algeria.
Driss, Khadija
  • Tunisian Horse Breeding Organization F.N.A.R.C., Foundation Nationale pour l´Amélioration de la Race Chevaline, Sidi Thabet 2020, Tunisia.
Benamar, Malak
  • Royal Horse Breeding Association SOREC, Société Royale d´Encouragement Du Cheval, Haras Regional la Kasbah de Bouznika, B. P. 52, Bouznika 13100, Morocco.
Machmoum, Mohamed
  • Veterinary Genetic Laboratory, Hassan II, Agronomic and Veterinary Institute, B. P. 6202, Rabat 10101, Morocco.
Piro, Mohammed
  • Veterinary Genetic Laboratory, Hassan II, Agronomic and Veterinary Institute, B. P. 6202, Rabat 10101, Morocco.
Krischke, Diana
  • Barb Horse Breeding Organization VFZB e. V., Verein der Freunde und Züchter des Berberpferdes e.V., Kirchgasse 11, 67718 Schmalenberg, Germany.
  • Department of Animal Breeding, University of Kassel, Nordbahnhofstr. 1a, 37213 Witzenhausen, Germany.
Butler-Wemken, Ines von
  • Barb Horse Breeding Organization VFZB e. V., Verein der Freunde und Züchter des Berberpferdes e.V., Kirchgasse 11, 67718 Schmalenberg, Germany.
Wallner, Barbara
  • Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1210 Vienna, Austria.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of the data; in the writing of the manuscript or in the decision to publish the results. The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors.

References

This article includes 54 references
  1. Kadri A. The Barb, A Legendary Horse. 2009.
  2. Chaid-Saoudi Y. La préhistoire du cheval en afrique du nord. Le Cheval Barbe 1989; pp. 35–39.
  3. Gonzaga P.G. A History of the Horse: The Iberian Horse from Ice Age to Antiquity. Volume 1. 2003; pp. 173–231.
  4. Blench R.M. A survey of ethnographic and linguistic evidence for the history of livestock in Africa. The Archaeology of Africa: Ethnographic and Linguistic Evidence for the Prehistory of African Ruminant Livestock, Horses and Ponies 1994; pp. 71–103.
  5. González-Fortes G, Tassi F, Trucchi E, Hanneberger K, Paijamans J.L.A., Díez-del-Molino D, Schroeder H, Susca R.R, Barroso-Ruíz C, Bermudez F.J. A western route of prehistoric human migration from Africa into the Iberian Peninsula. Proc. R. Soc. B Biol. Sci. 2019;286:1895.
    doi: 10.1098/rspb.2018.2288pmc: PMC6364581pubmed: 30963949google scholar: lookup
  6. Azzaroli A. La Cavalerie Numide. Le Cheval Barbe 1989; pp. 40–46.
  7. Gaudois M. Le cheval barbe et ses croisements. Le Cheval Barbe 1989; pp. 85–93.
  8. UNESCO International Scientific Committee . In: General History of Africa III: Africa from the Seventh to the Eleventh Century. Fasi M.E., Hrbek I., editors. Volume 3. UNESCO Publishing; Paris, France: 2000.
  9. Arauna L.R., Mendoza-Revilla J., Mas-Sandoval A., Izaabel H., Bekada A., Benhamamouch S., Fadhlaoui-Zid K., Zalloua P., Hellenthal G., Comas D. Recent Historical Migrations Have Shaped the Gene Pool of Arabs and Berbers in North Africa. Mol. Biol. Evol. 2017;34:318–329.
    doi: 10.1093/molbev/msw218pmc: PMC5644363pubmed: 27744413google scholar: lookup
  10. UNESCO International Scientific Committee . In: General History of Africa, IV: Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century. Niane D.T., editor. Volume 4. UNESCO Publishing; Paris, France: 2000.
  11. Royo L.J., Álvarez I., Beja-Pereira A., Molina A., Fernández I., Jordana J., Gómez E., Gutiérrez J.P., Goyache F. The Origins of Iberian Horses Assessed via Mitochondrial DNA. J. Hered. 2005;96:663–669.
    doi: 10.1093/jhered/esi116pubmed: 16251517google scholar: lookup
  12. Rayane A. L´Histoire du Petit Cheval d´Afrique du Nord- Le Barbe dans sa Première Grandeur. 2015; pp. 41–63.
  13. Barbie de Préaudeau P. La fortune du cheval barbe en occident. Le Cheval Barbe 1989; pp. 51–57.
  14. Waldron Grutz J. The Barb. Saudi Aramco World 2007;58:8–17.
  15. Bogros D. Les stud-books du cheval barbe: Histoire et perspective. Le Cheval Barbe 1989; pp. 66–72.
  16. Krischke D. Master’s Thesis. 2011.
  17. Gourand J.-L. Les sept vies du cheval barbe. Proceedings of the Conférences Scientifiques 2010; pp. 8–23.
  18. Dennis S.J., Meyers A.E., Hitzeroth I.I., Rybicki E.P. African Horse Sickness: A Review of Current Understanding and Vaccine Development. Viruses 2019;11:844.
    doi: 10.3390/v11090844pmc: PMC6783979pubmed: 31514299google scholar: lookup
  19. Khaled H. L’organisation mondiale du cheval barbe, l’assemblée constitutive. Le Cheval Barbe 1989; pp. 162–169.
  20. Seghrouchni M. Protocoles de réglement de l´inscription à titre initial (ITI) au stud-book des chevaux Barbes et Arabe-Barbes. Proceedings of the Conférences Scientifiques 2009; pp. 13–14.
  21. Yaaraf M., El Kohen M. Le cheval barbe situation actuelle et perspectives. Proceedings of the Conférences Scientifiques 2009; pp. 7–12.
  22. El Kohen M. Réflexions sur le standard du cheval Barbe. Proceedings of the Conférences Scientifiques 2010; pp. 24–29.
  23. Mebarki M., Kaidi M., Benhenia K. Morphometric description of Algerian Arab-Barb horse. Rev. Méd. Vét. 2018;169:180–184.
  24. Guedaoura S., Cabaraux J.-F., Moumene A., Tahraoui A., Nicks B. Evaluation morphometrique de chevaux de race barbe et derives en Algerie. Ann. Méd. Vét. 2011;155:14–22.
  25. Boujenane I., Touati I., Machmoum M. Mensurations corporelles des chevaux Arabe-Barbes au Maroc. Rev. Méd. Vét. 2008;159:144–149.
  26. Ouragh L., Mériaux J.-C., Braun J.-P. Genetic blood markers in Arabian, Barb and Arab-Barb horses in Morocco. Anim. Genet. 1994;25:45–47.
    doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2052.1994.tb00055.xpubmed: 8161021google scholar: lookup
  27. Berber N., Gaouar S., Leroy G., Kdidi S., Tabet Aouel N., Säidi Mehtar N. Molecular characterization and differentiation of five horse breeds raised in Algeria using polymorphic microsatellite markers. J. Anim. Breed. Genet. 2014;131:387–394.
    doi: 10.1111/jbg.12092pubmed: 24834806google scholar: lookup
  28. Jemmali B., Haddad M.M., Barhoumi N., Tounsi S., Lasfer F., Trabelsi A., Ben Aoun B., Gritli I., Ezzar S., Younes A.B. Genetic diversity in Tunisian horse breeds. Arch. Anim. Breed. 2017;60:153–160.
    doi: 10.5194/aab-60-153-2017google scholar: lookup
  29. Piro M., Alyakine H., Ezzaouia M., Lasfar F., Ahmed H.O., Ouragh L. Analyse génétique et relations phylogénétiques du cheval Barbe par l ’ utilisation des microsatellites. Rev. Mar. Sci. Agron. Vét. 2019;7:149–157.
  30. Chabchoub A., Landolsi F., Jary Y. Étude des paramètres morphologiques de chevaux Barbes de Tunisie. Rev. Méd. Vét. 2004;155:31–37.
  31. Rahal K., Guedioura A., Oumouna M. Paramètres morphométriques du cheval barbe de Chaouchaoua, Algérie. Rev. Méd. Vét. 2009;160:586–589.
  32. Jansen T., Forster P., Levine M.A., Oelke H., Hurles M., Renfrew C., Weber J., Olek K. Mitochondrial DNA and the origins of the domestic horse. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2002;99:10905–10910.
    doi: 10.1073/pnas.152330099pmc: PMC125071pubmed: 12130666google scholar: lookup
  33. Tobey E. The Palio Horse: Object of trade and diplomacy. The Culture of the Horse: Status, Discipline, and Identity in the Early Modern World 2016; pp. 67–68.
  34. Jobling M.A., Tyler-Smith C. Human Y-chromosome variation in the genome-sequencing era. Nat. Rev. Genet. 2017;18:485–497.
    doi: 10.1038/nrg.2017.36pubmed: 28555659google scholar: lookup
  35. Kayser M. Forensic use of Y-chromosome DNA: A general overview. Hum. Genet. 2017;136:621–635.
    doi: 10.1007/s00439-017-1776-9pmc: PMC5418305pubmed: 28315050google scholar: lookup
  36. Underhill P.A., Kivisild T. Use of y chromosome and mitochondrial DNA population structure in tracing human migrations. Annu. Rev. Genet. 2007;41:539–564.
    doi: 10.1146/annurev.genet.41.110306.130407pubmed: 18076332google scholar: lookup
  37. Raudsepp T., Finno C.J., Bellone R.R., Petersen J.L. Ten years of the horse reference genome: Insights into equine biology, domestication and population dynamics in the post-genome era. Anim. Genet. 2019;50:569–597.
    doi: 10.1111/age.12857pmc: PMC6825885pubmed: 31568563google scholar: lookup
  38. Felkel S., Vogl C., Rigler D., Dobretsberger V., Chowdhary B.P., Distl O., Fries R., Jagannathan V., Janečka J.E., Leeb T. The horse Y chromosome as an informative marker for tracing sire lines. Sci. Rep. 2019;9:6095.
    doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-42640-wpmc: PMC6465346pubmed: 30988347google scholar: lookup
  39. Remer V., Bozlak E., Felkel S., Radovic L., Rigler D., Grilz-Seger G., Stefaniuk-Szmukier M., Bugno-Poniewierska M., Brooks S., Miller D.C. Y-Chromosomal Insights into Breeding History and Sire Line Genealogies of Arabian Horses. Genes 2022;13:229.
    doi: 10.3390/genes13020229pmc: PMC8871751pubmed: 35205275google scholar: lookup
  40. Wallner B., Palmieri N., Vogl C., Rigler D., Bozlak E., Druml T., Jagannathan V., Leeb T., Fries R., Tetens J. Y Chromosome Uncovers the Recent Oriental Origin of Modern Stallions. Curr. Biol. 2017;27:2029–2035.e5.
    doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.05.086pubmed: 28669755google scholar: lookup
  41. Lindgren G., Backström N., Swinburne J., Hellborg L., Einarsson A., Sandberg K., Cothran G., Villà C., Binns M., Ellegren H. Limited number of patrilines in horse domestication. Nat. Genet. 2004;36:335–336.
    doi: 10.1038/ng1326pubmed: 15034578google scholar: lookup
  42. Wutke S., Sandoval-Castellanos E., Benecke N., Döhle H.-J., Friederich S., Gonzalez J., Hofreiter M., Lõugas L., Magnell O., Malaspinas A.S. Decline of genetic diversity in ancient domestic stallions in Europe. Sci. Adv. 2018;4:eaap9691.
    doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aap9691pmc: PMC5906072pubmed: 29675468google scholar: lookup
  43. Felkel S., Vogl C., Rigler D., Jagannathan V., Leeb T., Fries R., Neuditschko M., Rieder S., Velie B., Lindgren G. Asian horses deepen the MSY phylogeny. Anim. Genet. 2018;49:90–93.
    doi: 10.1111/age.12635pubmed: 29333704google scholar: lookup
  44. Han H., Wallner B., Rigler D., MacHugh D.E., Manglai D., Hill E.W. Chinese Mongolian horses may retain early domestic male genetic lineages yet to be discovered. Anim. Genet. 2019;50:399–402.
    doi: 10.1111/age.12780pubmed: 31073991google scholar: lookup
  45. Castaneda C., Juras R., Khanshour A.M., Randlaht I., Wallner B., Rigler D., Lindgren G., Raudsepp T., Cothran E.G. Population genetic analysis of the Estonian native horse suggests diverse and distinct genetics, ancient origin and contribution from unique patrilines. Genes 2019;10:629.
    doi: 10.3390/genes10080629pmc: PMC6722507pubmed: 31434327google scholar: lookup
  46. Bandelt H.J., Forster P., Röhl A. Median-joining networks for inferring intraspecific phylogenies. Mol. Biol. Evol. 1999;16:37–48.
    doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.molbev.a026036pubmed: 10331250google scholar: lookup
  47. RStudio Team. RStudio: Integrated Development for R. RStudio 2020.
  48. Jemmali B., Haddad M.M., Lasfer F., Ben Aoun B., Ezzar S., Kribi S., Ouled Ahmed H., Ezzaouia M.H., Rekik B. Investigation de la diversité génétique des races Barbe et Arabe Barbe en Tunisie. J. New Sci. Agric. Biotechnol. 2015;21:948–956.
  49. Hendricks B. International Encyclopedia of Horse Breeds. 2007.
  50. Goldstein H. The Earth Walkers: Horses & Humans—Our Journey Together on Planet Earth. 2019.
  51. Hunter A. American Classic Pedigrees (1914–2002). 2003; pp. 9–10.
  52. Mackay-Smith A. Speed and the Thoroughbred: The Complete History, XXVII. 2000; p. 193.
  53. Matoso Silva R., Bower M., Detry C., Valenzuela S., Fernández-Rodríguez C., Davis S., Riquelme Cantal J.A., Álvarez-Lao D., Arruda A.M., Viegas C. Tracing the History of the horse in Iberia and North Africa through ancient DNA. Chromatography and DNA Analysis in Archaeology 2015; pp. 217–227.
  54. De la Vega Sedano J.F. Analogies et différences entre le Barbe et l´Espagnol. Le Cheval Barbe 1989; pp. 94–101.

Citations

This article has been cited 4 times.
  1. Radovic L, Remer V, Rigler D, Bozlak E, Allen L, Brem G, Reissman M, Brockmann GA, Ropka-Molik K, Stefaniuk-Szmukier M, Kalinkova L, Kalashnikov VV, Zaitev AM, Raudsepp T, Castaneda C, von Butler-Wemken I, Patterson Rosa L, Brooks SA, Novoa-Bravo M, Kostaras N, Abdurasulov A, Antczak DF, Miller DC, Lopes MS, da Câmara Machado A, Lindgren G, Juras R, Cothran G, Wallner B. The global spread of Oriental Horses in the past 1,500 years through the lens of the Y chromosome. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024 Dec 3;121(49):e2414408121.
    doi: 10.1073/pnas.2414408121pubmed: 39556761google scholar: lookup
  2. Musiał AD, Radović L, Stefaniuk-Szmukier M, Bieniek A, Wallner B, Ropka-Molik K. Mitochondrial DNA and Y chromosome reveal the genetic structure of the native Polish Konik horse population. PeerJ 2024;12:e17549.
    doi: 10.7717/peerj.17549pubmed: 38912049google scholar: lookup
  3. Giontella A, Cardinali I, Sarti FM, Silvestrelli M, Lancioni H. Y-Chromosome Haplotype Report among Eight Italian Horse Breeds. Genes (Basel) 2023 Aug 9;14(8).
    doi: 10.3390/genes14081602pubmed: 37628653google scholar: lookup
  4. Bozlak E, Radovic L, Remer V, Rigler D, Allen L, Brem G, Stalder G, Castaneda C, Cothran G, Raudsepp T, Okuda Y, Moe KK, Moe HH, Kounnavongsa B, Keonouchanh S, Van NH, Vu VH, Shah MK, Nishibori M, Kazymbet P, Bakhtin M, Zhunushov A, Paul RC, Dashnyam B, Nozawa K, Almarzook S, Brockmann GA, Reissmann M, Antczak DF, Miller DC, Sadeghi R, von Butler-Wemken I, Kostaras N, Han H, Manglai D, Abdurasulov A, Sukhbaatar B, Ropka-Molik K, Stefaniuk-Szmukier M, Lopes MS, da Câmara Machado A, Kalashnikov VV, Kalinkova L, Zaitev AM, Novoa-Bravo M, Lindgren G, Brooks S, Rosa LP, Orlando L, Juras R, Kunieda T, Wallner B. Refining the evolutionary tree of the horse Y chromosome. Sci Rep 2023 Jun 2;13(1):8954.
    doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-35539-0pubmed: 37268661google scholar: lookup
Subscribe to our newsletter
Join 99,780 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.