Ancient Mitochondrial Genomes Provide New Clues to the Origin of Domestic Cattle in China
Cattle are one of the six livestock species that have occupied an important place in Chinese history. Previous ancient DNA studies have indicated that Chinese taurine cattle (<i>Bos taurus taurus</i>) are exotic, but the exact route and diffusion by which they were introduced to China is...
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MDPI AG
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Genes |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4425/14/7/1313 |
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| author | Naifan Zhang Xinyue Shao Yaqi Guo Xinyu Zhang Yawei Zhou Jing Yuan Zhuowei Tang Songmei Hu Sergey Stepanovich Minyaev Dawei Cai |
| author_facet | Naifan Zhang Xinyue Shao Yaqi Guo Xinyu Zhang Yawei Zhou Jing Yuan Zhuowei Tang Songmei Hu Sergey Stepanovich Minyaev Dawei Cai |
| author_sort | Naifan Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Cattle are one of the six livestock species that have occupied an important place in Chinese history. Previous ancient DNA studies have indicated that Chinese taurine cattle (<i>Bos taurus taurus</i>) are exotic, but the exact route and diffusion by which they were introduced to China is unknown. In this study, we extracted the mitochondrial genomes of 34 cases of ancient taurine cattle (from the late Neolithic to Qin and Han dynasties) excavated from sites in northern China and the eastern Eurasian steppe, and successfully obtained 14 mitochondrial genome sequences. The results of ancient DNA analysis reveal that with cultural exchange and trade, there was close genetic exchange between domestic taurine cattle in different regions. The haplotypes shared by domestic cattle have genetic continuity, reflecting the strong cultural influence of the large capital city sites such as Taosi, Shimao and Erlitou on the surrounding areas. This study suggests that ancient northern Chinese taurine cattle may have accompanied the westward transmission of agricultural or painted pottery culture and thus had a maternal genetic contribution to modern Tibetan cattle. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T01:02:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3b116aafbdad4a4d9412503401d4424b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4425 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T01:02:31Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Genes |
| spelling | doaj.art-3b116aafbdad4a4d9412503401d4424b2023-11-18T19:28:35ZengMDPI AGGenes2073-44252023-06-01147131310.3390/genes14071313Ancient Mitochondrial Genomes Provide New Clues to the Origin of Domestic Cattle in ChinaNaifan Zhang0Xinyue Shao1Yaqi Guo2Xinyu Zhang3Yawei Zhou4Jing Yuan5Zhuowei Tang6Songmei Hu7Sergey Stepanovich Minyaev8Dawei Cai9Research Center for Chinese Frontier Archaeology, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, ChinaFaculty of Arts and Humanities (Archaeology), University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BF, UKResearch Center for Chinese Frontier Archaeology, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, ChinaDepartment of Archaeology, Jilin University Museum of Archaeology & Art, Changchun 130012, ChinaHistory College, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, ChinaInstitute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing 100710, ChinaResearch Center for Chinese Frontier Archaeology, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, ChinaShaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology, Xi’an 710054, ChinaInstitute for the History of Material Culture, Russian Academy of Sciences, Dvortsovaya Nab. 18, St. Petersburg 191186, RussiaResearch Center for Chinese Frontier Archaeology, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, ChinaCattle are one of the six livestock species that have occupied an important place in Chinese history. Previous ancient DNA studies have indicated that Chinese taurine cattle (<i>Bos taurus taurus</i>) are exotic, but the exact route and diffusion by which they were introduced to China is unknown. In this study, we extracted the mitochondrial genomes of 34 cases of ancient taurine cattle (from the late Neolithic to Qin and Han dynasties) excavated from sites in northern China and the eastern Eurasian steppe, and successfully obtained 14 mitochondrial genome sequences. The results of ancient DNA analysis reveal that with cultural exchange and trade, there was close genetic exchange between domestic taurine cattle in different regions. The haplotypes shared by domestic cattle have genetic continuity, reflecting the strong cultural influence of the large capital city sites such as Taosi, Shimao and Erlitou on the surrounding areas. This study suggests that ancient northern Chinese taurine cattle may have accompanied the westward transmission of agricultural or painted pottery culture and thus had a maternal genetic contribution to modern Tibetan cattle.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4425/14/7/1313ancient taurine cattlemitochondrial genomenorthern regioneastern Eurasian steppe |
| spellingShingle | Naifan Zhang Xinyue Shao Yaqi Guo Xinyu Zhang Yawei Zhou Jing Yuan Zhuowei Tang Songmei Hu Sergey Stepanovich Minyaev Dawei Cai Ancient Mitochondrial Genomes Provide New Clues to the Origin of Domestic Cattle in China Genes ancient taurine cattle mitochondrial genome northern region eastern Eurasian steppe |
| title | Ancient Mitochondrial Genomes Provide New Clues to the Origin of Domestic Cattle in China |
| title_full | Ancient Mitochondrial Genomes Provide New Clues to the Origin of Domestic Cattle in China |
| title_fullStr | Ancient Mitochondrial Genomes Provide New Clues to the Origin of Domestic Cattle in China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ancient Mitochondrial Genomes Provide New Clues to the Origin of Domestic Cattle in China |
| title_short | Ancient Mitochondrial Genomes Provide New Clues to the Origin of Domestic Cattle in China |
| title_sort | ancient mitochondrial genomes provide new clues to the origin of domestic cattle in china |
| topic | ancient taurine cattle mitochondrial genome northern region eastern Eurasian steppe |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4425/14/7/1313 |
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