Naslov
Genetic relationships among Italian and Croatian Podolian cattle breeds assessed by microsatellite markers

Autori
Maretto, F. ; Ramljak, Jelena ; Sbarra, F. ; Penasa, M. ; Cassandro, M. ; Mantovani, R. ; Ivanković, Ante ; Bittante, G.

Izvornik
Livestock Science (1871-1413) 150 (2012), 1/3; 256-264

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u časopisima, članak, znanstveni

Ključne riječi
cattle; molecular diversity; Podolian breeds; population structure

Sažetak
The objectives of the present work were to assess the current levels of genetic diversity, and the population structure, of five Italian Podolian breeds, and to explore their genetic relationships with the Istrian Cattle (IST) population of Croatia. A total of 373 animals were analyzed using 20 microsatellite markers. The individuals were from seven different breeds: IST (n = 113), Romagnola (ROM, n = 53), Marchigiana (MAC, n = 32), Chianina (CHI, n = 30), Maremmana (MAM, n = 51), Podolica (POD, n = 38), and a reference breed, the Brown Swiss (BRO, n = 56). The MAM breed showed the highest gene diversity over all loci (0.726), followed by the POD (0.719) and IST (0.659) breeds. The mean observed heterozygosity was 0.580 and was lower than expected in all breeds. The IST breed was closely related to the POD and MAM breeds ; the genetic distances were 0.058 and 0.080, respectively. Population structure analysis showed that IST, POD, and MAM breeds clearly differentiate from the more specialized beef breeds CHI, MAC, and ROM, and are characterized by the presence of genetic substructures. Our results emphasize the importance of monitoring genetic variability in native populations both for conservation purposes and to maintain breed identity and genetic diversity.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Poljoprivreda (agronomija)

POVEZANOST RADA