Haddad Nizar J, Al-Araishi Mohamad A, Awabdeh Sami, Patidar Rajesh, Bell Ryan, Jawasreh Khaleel, Alhurani Heba, Alharbed Leqaa J, Sweidan Rawad, Al-Anaswah Eman N, Brake Mohammad, Sadder Monther T, Blanco Omar A, Sbeih Loai, Uduman Mohamed, Lakhani Saquib A, Khokha Mustafa K, Weir Ahmed
Innovations & Business Development, Fresh Del Monte, Amman, Jordan.
National Agricultural Research Center - NARC, Baqa'a, Jordan.
J Hered. 2025 Jul 21;116(4):435-440. doi: 10.1093/jhered/esae076.
The Dromedary camel has a remarkable history amongst cultures across Asia and northern Africa, serving multiple purposes ranging from providing milk, textiles, racing, and acting as pack animals. Recent genetic studies have revealed that many dromedaries are genetically homogenous, indicating that they do not represent different breeds, advocating for camel "type" over camel "breed." In this study, we leveraged whole genome sequencing (WGS) to sequence 15 Jordanian Alia camels for the first time, alongside 9 Jordanian mixed camels from diverse locations within the country. Additionally, we analyzed 48 publicly available whole genomes of dromedary camels from the Arabian Peninsula for comparison. We demonstrate that the Alia camel is a distinct breed of camel, carefully bred in Jordan for racing and milk production. Compared with other dromedary camels, the Alia is genetically distinct and a unique breed that should be conserved. Our data further suggest that WGS of different camel populations may identify additional breeds and inform approaches to optimize traits and preserve genetic diversity.
单峰骆驼在亚洲和北非的各种文化中有着非凡的历史，它有多种用途，包括提供牛奶、制作纺织品、用于赛跑以及作为驮畜。最近的基因研究表明，许多单峰骆驼在基因上是同质的，这表明它们并不代表不同的品种，因此主张用骆驼“类型”而非骆驼“品种”来表述。在本研究中，我们首次利用全基因组测序（WGS）对15头约旦阿利亚骆驼进行测序，同时还对来自该国不同地点的9头约旦混合骆驼进行了测序。此外，我们分析了48个来自阿拉伯半岛的单峰骆驼的公开全基因组用于比较。我们证明，阿利亚骆驼是一种独特的骆驼品种，是在约旦精心培育用于赛跑和产奶的。与其他单峰骆驼相比，阿利亚骆驼在基因上是独特的，是一个应予以保护的独特品种。我们的数据进一步表明，对不同骆驼种群进行全基因组测序可能会识别出更多品种，并为优化性状和保护遗传多样性的方法提供依据。
