Genetic diversity and structure of autochthonous cattle breeds from Bosnia and Herzegovina based on microsatellites

Abstract

Genotype data from 21 microsatellites were used to evaluate genetic diversity and relationships of Gatacko cattle and Busha breeds. A total of 100 animals included in the study were divided into three groups: Gatacko cattle (GC), Busha from eastern Herzegovina (BEH) and Busha from western Herzegovina (BWH). Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was observed for all loci in all groups, except for single locus (INRA35) in group of Busha from western Herzegovina. A total number of 166 alleles were detected in a total sample. The average number of alleles per locus was 7.9. The highest observed mean heterozygosity (0.688) was found in the Gatacko cattle and the lowest (0.634) in Busha from western Herzegovina. A pairwise population matrix of Fst values among analyzed groups showed significantly high genetic differentiation among all three groups: Gatacko cattle and Busha from western Herzegovina, Gatacko cattle and Busha from eastern Herzegovina and Busha from western and Busha from eastern Herzegovina. This report represents the first genetic characterization of Gatacko cattle and Busha cattle, traditional cattle breed from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The obtained results are valuable for the future development of conservation and management strategies for these cattle breeds.