Wang Weimin, Zhang Xiaoxue, Zhou Xiang, Zhang Yangzi, La Yongfu, Zhang Yu, Li Chong, Zhao Youzhang, Li Fadi, Liu Bang, Jiang Zhihua
College of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China.
Key Laboratory of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Education, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China.
Front Genet. 2019 Apr 2;10:300. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2019.00300. eCollection 2019.
Sheep were one of the earliest domesticated animals. Both artificial and natural selection during domestication has resulted in remarkable changes in behavioral, physiological, and morphological phenotypes; however, the genetic mechanisms underpinning these changes remain unclear, particularly for indigenous Chinese sheep. In the present study, we performed pooled whole-genome resequencing of 338 sheep from five breeds representative of indigenous Chinese breeds and compared them to the wild ancestors of domestic sheep (Asian mouflon, ) for detection of genome-wide selective sweeps. Comparative genomic analysis between domestic sheep and Asian mouflon showed that selected regions were enriched for genes involved in bone morphogenesis, growth regulation, and embryonic and neural development in domestic sheep. Moreover, we identified several vision-associated genes with funtional mutations, such as (c.G2994C/p.A982P and c.C2284A/p.L762M mutations), , and in all five Chinese native breeds. Breed-specific selected regions were determined including genes such as for hypoxia adaptability in Tibetan sheep and for heat tolerance in Duolang sheep. Our findings provide insights into the genetic mechanisms underlying important phenotypic changes that have occurred during sheep domestication and subsequent selection.
绵羊是最早被驯化的动物之一。在驯化过程中的人工选择和自然选择都导致了绵羊行为、生理和形态表型的显著变化；然而，这些变化背后的遗传机制仍不清楚，尤其是对于中国本土绵羊而言。在本研究中，我们对来自五个代表中国本土品种的338只绵羊进行了全基因组重测序，并将它们与家羊的野生祖先（亚洲摩弗伦羊）进行比较，以检测全基因组范围的选择性清除。家羊与亚洲摩弗伦羊之间的比较基因组分析表明，选择区域富含参与家羊骨骼形态发生、生长调节以及胚胎和神经发育的基因。此外，我们在所有五个中国本土品种中鉴定出了几个具有功能突变的视觉相关基因，如（c.G2994C/p.A982P和c.C2284A/p.L762M突变）、 和 。确定了品种特异性选择区域，包括藏羊中与低氧适应性相关的基因 以及多浪羊中与耐热性相关的基因 。我们的研究结果为绵羊驯化及后续选择过程中发生的重要表型变化背后的遗传机制提供了见解。
