Microsatellite based phylogeny and bottleneck studies of Iranian indigenous goat populations.

Genetic analyses, structure, and bottlenecks were examined in six populations of Iranian indigenous goat using 13 microsatellite loci. The overall heterozygosity, polymorphism information content (PIC), and Shannon index values were 0.80, 0.74, and 2.14, respectively, indicating high genetic diversity. Both a phylogenetic tree and factorial correspondence analysis grouped the populations into two major clusters. Signatures for bottleneck events in the populations were examined by two methods, which suggested that bottlenecks had occurred in two Tali and Markhoz populations, whereas other populations (Raeini, Korki jonobe Khorasan, Lori, and Najdi) showed no signature of a genetic bottleneck in the recent past. The results showed that Iranian goats have high genetic diversity and may be of value to alternative breeding and conservation programs.