Abstract
ObjectiveAlongside the rise of animal-protection awareness in Taiwan, the public has been paying more attention to dog genetic deficiencies due to inbreeding in the pet market. The goal of this study was to isolate novel microsatellite markers for monitoring the genetic structure of domestic dog populations in Taiwan.MethodsA total of 113 DNA samples from three dog breeds—beagles (BEs), bichons (BIs), and schnauzers (SCs)—were used in subsequent polymorphic tests applying the 14 novel microsatellite markers that were isolated in this study.ResultsThe results showed that the high level of genetic diversity observed in these novel microsatellite markers provided strong discriminatory power. The estimated probability of identity (P(ID)) and the probability of identity among sibs (P(ID)sib) for the 14 novel microsatellite markers were 1.7×10−12 and 1.6×10−5, respectively. Furthermore, the power of exclusion for the 14 novel microsatellite markers was 99.98%. The neighbor-joining trees constructed among the three breeds indicated that the 14 sets of novel microsatellite markers were sufficient to correctly cluster the BEs, BIs, and SCs. The principal coordinate analysis plot showed that the dogs could be accurately separated by these 14 loci based on different breeds; moreover, the Beagles from different sources were also distinguished. The first, the second, and the third principal coordinates could be used to explain 44.15%, 26.35%, and 19.97% of the genetic variation.ConclusionThe results of this study could enable powerful monitoring of the genetic structure of domestic dog populations in Taiwan.
Highlights
After strong artificial selection for over 150 years, morphological variation has been created in dog populations and more than 400 canine breeds are currently registered worldwide by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI), and other federations such as the American and British Kennel Clubs [1]
With over 470 million dogs being kept as companion animals worldwide, they were ranked as the leading type of pet in 2018 [2]
The overall sales revenue of petrelated industries has increased from 15.5 billion New Taiwan dollars (NT$) in the past 10 years to 26.6 billion NT$ (Statistical Bulletin, Ministry of Finance, Republic of China; http://service.mof.gov.tw/File/Attach/86088/File_21588.pdf)
Summary
Alongside the rise of animal-protection awareness in Taiwan, the public has been paying more attention to dog genetic deficiencies due to inbreeding in the pet market. The goal of this study was to isolate novel microsatellite markers for monitoring the genetic structure of domestic dog populations in Taiwan. Methods: A total of 113 DNA samples from three dog breeds—beagles (BEs), bichons (BIs), and schnauzers (SCs)—were used in subsequent polymorphic tests applying the 14 novel microsatellite markers that were isolated in this study. The neighbor-joining trees constructed among the three breeds indicated that the 14 sets of novel microsatellite markers were sufficient to correctly cluster the BEs, BIs, and SCs. The principal coordinate analysis plot showed that the dogs could be accurately separated by these 14 loci based on different breeds; the Beagles from different sources were distinguished.
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