Assessment of the dynamics of genetic diversity of orenburg goat breed populations by microsatellite markers
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: The Orenburg goat breed created by long-term selection in the Orenburg region is adapted to harsh climatic conditions and distinguished by excellent quality of down. At the end of the 20 th century, the population of down goats in Russia was one of the highest in the world. However, the use of cheap synthetic fibers led to a sharp decrease in the population of the Orenburg breed. The aim of the work was a comparative study of the allele pool of the modern population of Orenburg goats using microsatellites to select animals, which genetically belonged to the Orenburg breed, for use in gene pool conservation programs. Ear tissue samples of Orenburg goats collected in 2024 from two farms (OREN1_2024, n = 232 and OREN2_2024, n = 29) in the Orenburg region were used as material for this study. Samples of Orenburg goats collected from the «Donskoy» farm in 2012 (OREN_2012, n = 47) were used as a comparison group (ancestral population). Genotyping of 14 microsatellite loci recommended by ISAG was carried out. Statistical processing of genotyping data was performed in the R software environment using additional packages. Genetic diversity analysis showed a decrease in allelic richness in the modern populations of Orenburg goats: Ar = 6.929–7.025 versus Ar = 7.871 in the ancestral population. A significantly lower average number of private alleles was found in the OREN2_2024 group, which may be due to the origin of this population from a limited number of founders. The frequencies of private alleles were significantly (p < 0.05) differed for the two modern populations. In the modern populations, 11 alleles in 9 loci were lost though they were present in the ancestral population. The studies showed that in spite of detection of nonsignificant admixture events the ancestral components are present in modern samples. These findings provide a scientific base for implementation of procedures to preserve the Orenburg goat breed as a valuable national resource within the framework of the activities of the National Center for Genetic Resources of Agricultural Animals.
Language: English
Subfield: Genetics
Domain: Life Sciences
SDG: Zero hunger
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7203770934