Complete mitochondrial genome of Anxi cattle (Bos taurus)

Abstract

Anxi cattle (Bos taurus) is an endangered species native to China. It has strong adaptive abilities to harsh desert conditions such as heat, cold, and drought tolerance; disease resistance; and stable inheritance. However, it is on the brink of extinction because of its shrinking population in the past few years due to the introduction and invasion of exotic species and the lack of awareness of germplasm resource protection. Mitochondrial DNA, a well-known genetic marker, has been successfully applied to molecular phylogenetics and population genetics. This study reported a whole mitogenome for Anxi cattle (B. taurus), which was sequenced using Illumina Hiseq 2500 platform. The length of complete mitogenome of Anxi cattle (B. taurus) breed was 16,341 bp (bp), containing 13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes, and a non-coding control region. It also contained the origin of L-strand replication (32 bp long), which was between tRNA-Asn and tRNA-Cys. The base composition of the genome was A (33.4%), C (26.0%), G (13.4%), and T (27.2%) with an A + T content of 60.6%. The molecular phylogenetic analysis revealed four major lineages, and the Anxi cattle breed had a close genetic connection with B. taurus and B. indicus clusters but was still distinctly outside them. This study identified the phylogenetic status of Anxi cattle (B. taurus) breed and offered essential molecular genetic information for the conservation of germplasm resources.