Ankara University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Animal Genetics, Ankara, Türkiye.
Ege University, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology Molecular Biology Section, İzmir, Türkiye.
Gene. 2024 Jan 20;892:147849. doi: 10.1016/j.gene.2023.147849. Epub 2023 Sep 28.
The Fertile Crescent appears to be the most plausible region where the domestication of cats commenced through a mutually beneficial relationship between wild cats and early agrarian societies. These domesticated cats then journeyed across the globe mirroring the paths of human migration. An examination of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region-based mitotyping suggested that a significant majority, exceeding 80%, of globally sampled random-bred and pure-bred cats could be categorized into 12 predominant mitotypes. However, the extent of mitotype diversity within random-bred cats from regions proximate to the Fertile Crescent remains inadequately explored. In light of this we aimed to investigate the mitotype diversity in random bred cats sampled from various regions across Turkey. Additionally, we sought to establish a comparison with the mitotype profiles of locally recognized pure breeds, namely the Turkish Angora and Turkish Van. To unravel their evolutionary narratives, we engaged in comprehensive population genetics analyses at both the individual and mitotype-based levels. Our study encompassed a sample size of 240 specimens, forming the basis for both mitotyping and population genetics scrutiny. Our analysis yielded the identification of nine 'universal' mitotypes (A-J), alongside an 'outlier' mitotype group I. Notably mitotypes A and D emerged as particularly prevalent in contrast to the lesser occurrence mitotypes C, G, and H. With the realm of random bred cats the structure of haplotypes exhibited remarkable diversity presenting distinctions from Turkish Angora and Van breeds. Nucleotide diversity was higher compared to previous reports from Turkey and was one of the highest among reported world cat population estimates. Intriguingly, our investigations did not unveil any pronounced instances of strong selection, population expansions or contractions within any specific population or mitotype. To conclude, our study represents a pioneering effort in uncovering the mitotype profiles and haplotype structures inherent to both random-bred and pure breed cats in Turkey. This endeavor not only broadens our understanding of the feline genetic landscape within the region but also lays the foundation for future inquiries into the evolutionary trajectories and genetic legacies of these feline populations.
新月沃地似乎是最有可能的地方，猫的驯化是通过野生猫和早期农业社会之间的互利关系开始的。这些驯化的猫随后跟随人类的迁徙路径遍布全球。对线粒体 DNA（mtDNA）控制区基于的线粒体分型的研究表明，在全球范围内抽样的随机繁殖和纯种猫中，绝大多数（超过 80%）可以分为 12 种主要的线粒体型。然而，在新月沃地附近地区的随机繁殖猫的线粒体型多样性程度仍未得到充分探索。鉴于此，我们旨在调查从土耳其各地随机繁殖的猫的线粒体型多样性。此外，我们还试图与土耳其安哥拉猫和土耳其梵猫这两个当地公认的纯种猫的线粒体型图谱进行比较。为了揭示它们的进化故事，我们在个体和线粒体型两个层面上进行了全面的群体遗传学分析。我们的研究包括了 240 个样本的样本量，这些样本既是线粒体型分析的基础，也是群体遗传学分析的基础。我们的分析确定了 9 种“通用”线粒体型（A-J），以及一组“异常”的线粒体型 I。值得注意的是，线粒体型 A 和 D 比其他出现较少的线粒体型 C、G 和 H 更为普遍。对于随机繁殖的猫来说，单倍型结构显示出了显著的多样性，与土耳其安哥拉猫和梵猫品种有所区别。与来自土耳其的先前报告相比，核苷酸多样性更高，并且在报告的世界猫种群估计中是最高的之一。有趣的是，我们的研究没有揭示任何特定种群或线粒体型存在强烈选择、种群扩张或收缩的明显迹象。总之，我们的研究代表了在揭示土耳其随机繁殖和纯种猫的线粒体型谱和单倍型结构方面的开创性努力。这不仅拓宽了我们对该地区猫科动物遗传景观的理解，也为未来研究这些猫科动物种群的进化轨迹和遗传遗产奠定了基础。
