Genetic variation in eight Chinese cattle breeds based on the analysis of microsatellite markers

Chuzhao Lei,Lei Xue-Qin ,Wenhao Sun ,Hong Chen,Yinghan Zhang

doi:10.1051/gse:2008027

Abstract

Genetic variability and genetic relationships were investigated among eight Chinese cattle breeds using 12 microsatellite markers. Three hundred and fifty-two alleles were detected and the average number of alleles per locus ranged from 8.33 ± 1.67 in the Jiaxian breed to 21.33 ± 5.60 in the Qinchuan breed with a mean value of 13.91. The total number of alleles per microsatellite ranged from 21 (INRA005, HEL1) to 40 (HEL13), with a mean of 29.33 per locus. The fixation indices at the 12 loci in the eight breeds were very low with a mean of 0.006. A principal components analysis and the construction of a neighborjoining tree showed that these eight Chinese cattle breeds cluster into three groups i.e. the Yanbian andChineseHolstein, theNanyang and Jiaxian, and the four remaining breeds.This clustering agrees with the origin and geographical distributions of these Chinese breeds.

Highlights

Since the 1980s, the Chinese beef industry has expanded considerably and this progress has been accompanied by the introduction of several foreign specialized beef breeds, especially from Europe
In cattle, most of these studies have focused on European breeds and little information is available on the genetic diversity of Chinese indigenous cattle breeds
352 alleles were detected for the 12 microsatellite loci in 350 animals from the eight Chinese cattle breeds studied with the number of alleles per locus ranging from 21 (INRA005, HEL1) to 40 (HEL13) and with a mean of 29.33

Summary

Introduction

Since the 1980s, the Chinese beef industry has expanded considerably and this progress has been accompanied by the introduction of several foreign specialized beef breeds, especially from Europe. European breeds are often used as sire lines for crossbreeding with Chinese indigenous cattle breeds Such breeding schemes have contributed in improving individual weight gain and beef carcass weight of Chinese breeds [27], which only account for two-thirds of the world average level and about one half of that in developed countries, such as Canada, Australia, and USA. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the genetic diversity of eight cattle breeds in China based on microsatellite markers and to estimate the genetic relationships among these eight breeds

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion