Department of Microbial, Cellular and Molecular Biology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Andassa Livestock Research Center, Amhara Regional Agricultural Research Institute, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.
Genes Genomics. 2020 Oct;42(10):1169-1178. doi: 10.1007/s13258-020-00984-y. Epub 2020 Aug 16.
Ethiopian sheep living in different climatic zones and having contrasting morphologies are a most promising subject of molecular-genetic research. Elucidating their genetic diversity and genetic structure is critical for designing appropriate breeding and conservation strategies.
The study was aimed to investigate genome-wide genetic diversity and population structure of eight Ethiopian sheep populations.
A total of 115 blood samples were collected from four Ethiopian sheep populations that include Washera, Farta and Wollo (short fat-tailed) and Horro (long fat-tailed). DNA was extracted using Quick-DNA™ Miniprep plus kit. All DNA samples were genotyped using Ovine 50 K SNP BeadChip. To infer genetic relationships of Ethiopian sheep at national, continental and global levels, genotype data on four Ethiopian sheep (Adilo, Arsi-Bale, Menz and Black Head Somali) and sheep from east, north, and south Africa, Middle East and Asia were included in the study as reference.
Mean genetic diversity of Ethiopian sheep populations ranged from 0.352 ± 0.14 for Horro to 0.379 ± 0.14 for Arsi-Bale sheep. Population structure and principal component analyses of the eight Ethiopian indigenous sheep revealed four distinct genetic cluster groups according to their tail phenotype and geographical distribution. The short fat-tailed sheep did not represent one genetic cluster group. Ethiopian fat-rump sheep share a common genetic background with the Kenyan fat-tailed sheep.
The results of the present study revealed the principal component and population structure follows a clear pattern of tail morphology and phylogeography. There is clear signature of admixture among the study Ethiopian sheep populations.
生活在不同气候带且具有不同形态的埃塞俄比亚绵羊是分子遗传学研究最有前途的对象。阐明它们的遗传多样性和遗传结构对于设计适当的育种和保护策略至关重要。
本研究旨在调查 8 个埃塞俄比亚绵羊群体的全基因组遗传多样性和群体结构。
从 4 个埃塞俄比亚绵羊群体（Washera、Farta 和 Wollo（短肥尾）和 Horro（长肥尾））中采集了 115 份血液样本。使用 Quick-DNA™ Miniprep plus 试剂盒提取 DNA。所有 DNA 样本均使用 Ovine 50K SNP BeadChip 进行基因分型。为了推断埃塞俄比亚绵羊在国家、大陆和全球水平上的遗传关系，本研究还包括了来自东非、北非和南非、中东和亚洲的 4 个埃塞俄比亚绵羊（Adilo、Arsi-Bale、Menz 和 Black Head Somali）以及绵羊的基因型数据作为参考。
埃塞俄比亚绵羊群体的平均遗传多样性范围从 Horro 的 0.352±0.14 到 Arsi-Bale 绵羊的 0.379±0.14。根据尾巴表型和地理分布，对 8 个埃塞俄比亚本土绵羊的种群结构和主成分分析表明，有 4 个不同的遗传聚类群体。短肥尾绵羊没有代表一个遗传聚类群体。埃塞俄比亚肥臀绵羊与肯尼亚肥臀绵羊具有共同的遗传背景。
本研究结果表明，主成分和种群结构遵循尾巴形态和系统地理学的明确模式。研究中的埃塞俄比亚绵羊群体之间存在明显的混合迹象。
