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Uniparental genetic systems: a male and a female perspective in the domestic cattle origin and evolution
Di Lorenzo, Piera; Lancioni, Hovirag; Ceccobelli, Simone; Curcio, Ludovica; Panella, Francesco & Lasagna, Emiliano
Abstract
Over the last 20 years, the two uniparentally inherited marker systems, namely mitochondrial DNA and Y
chromosome have been widely employed to solve questions about origin and prehistorical range expansions,
demographic processes, both in humans and domestic animals. The mtDNA and the Y chromosome, with their
unique patterns of inheritance, continue to be extremely important source of information. These markers
played significant roles in farm animals in the evaluation of the genetic variation within- and among-breed
strains and lines and have widely applied in the fields of linkage mapping, paternity tests, prediction of
breeding values in genome-assisted selection, analysis of genetic diversity within breeds detection of
population admixture, assessment of inbreeding and relationships between breeds, and assignment
of individuals to their breed of origin. This approach offers a unique opportunity to save genetic
resources and achieving improved productivity. In the past years, significant progress was achieved in
reconstructing detailed cattle phylogenies; many studies indicated multiple parental sources and
several levels of phylogeographic structuring. More detailed researches are still in progress in order to
provide a more comprehensive picture of such extant variability. This paper is focused on reviewing the
use of the two uniparental markers as valuable tool for the characterization of cattle genetic diversity.
Furthermore, their implications in animal breeding, management and genetic resources conservation
are also reported.
Keywords
Animal breeding; Bovine domestication; Cattle genetic diversity; Genetic resources; Genome-assisted selection; Inherited marker systems
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