Genetic diversity and maternal origins of indigenous sheep populations in north Ethiopia

Abstract

This study investigated maternal origin and haplotype variants in four sheep populations in the northern Ethiopian Tigray and Afar regions: Abergelle, Elle, Begait, and Tigray Highland. The research involved amplifying a 1088-bp mtDNA control region and sequencing 24 samples and examined haplotype diversity and maternal origins. The maternal origins were determined by using 517 bp of the mtDNA d-loop region, which was matched to globally defined reference sequences. The AMOVA analysis reveals 29.78 % variation in four populations with 13 mutational sites dividing haplogroups A and B. The presence of diverse maternal origins in those indigenous sheep populations is very crucial for future conservation and breeding efforts. To properly grasp their genetic potential, it will therefore be necessary to decipher the entire genome landscape of the indigenous sheep resources in Tigray regional state, the north Ethiopia.