More Than a Moggy; A Population Genetics Analysis of the United Kingdom’s Non-Pedigree Cats
The domestic cat is one of the most popular pets in the world. It is estimated that 89–92% of domestic cats in the UK are non-pedigree Domestic shorthair (DSH), Domestic longhair (DLH), or Domestic semi-longhair cats (DSLH). Despite their popularity, little is known of the UK non-pedigree cats’ popu...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-10-01
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| Series: | Genes |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4425/12/10/1619 |
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| author | Jennifer Irving McGrath Wengang Zhang Regina Hollar Alison Collings Roger Powell Rob D. Foale Nicola Thurley Jeffrey A. Brockman Richard J. Mellanby Danièlle A. Gunn-Moore Jeffrey J. Schoenebeck |
| author_facet | Jennifer Irving McGrath Wengang Zhang Regina Hollar Alison Collings Roger Powell Rob D. Foale Nicola Thurley Jeffrey A. Brockman Richard J. Mellanby Danièlle A. Gunn-Moore Jeffrey J. Schoenebeck |
| author_sort | Jennifer Irving McGrath |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The domestic cat is one of the most popular pets in the world. It is estimated that 89–92% of domestic cats in the UK are non-pedigree Domestic shorthair (DSH), Domestic longhair (DLH), or Domestic semi-longhair cats (DSLH). Despite their popularity, little is known of the UK non-pedigree cats’ population structure and breeding dynamics. Using a custom designed single nucleotide variant (SNV) array, this study investigated the population genetics of 1344 UK cats. Principal components analysis (PCA) and fastSTRUCTURE analysis verified that the UK’s DSH, DLH, and DSLH cats are random-bred, rather than admixed, mix breed, or crossbred. In contrast to pedigree cats, the linkage disequilibrium of these random-bred cats was least extensive and decayed rapidly. Homozygosity by descent (HBD) analysis showed the majority of non-pedigree cats had proportionally less of their genome in HBD segments compared to pedigree cats, and that these segments were older. Together, these findings suggest that the DSH, DLH, and DSLH cats should be considered as a population of random-bred cats rather than a crossbred or pedigree-admixed cat. Unexpectedly, 19% of random-bred cat genomes displayed a higher proportion of HBD segments associated with more recent inbreeding events. Therefore, while non-pedigree cats as a whole are genetically diverse, they are not impervious to inbreeding and its health risks. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T06:32:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3b830e5650c14093b8c8543f368b2fa3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4425 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T06:32:32Z |
| publishDate | 2021-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Genes |
| spelling | doaj.art-3b830e5650c14093b8c8543f368b2fa32023-11-22T18:22:50ZengMDPI AGGenes2073-44252021-10-011210161910.3390/genes12101619More Than a Moggy; A Population Genetics Analysis of the United Kingdom’s Non-Pedigree CatsJennifer Irving McGrath0Wengang Zhang1Regina Hollar2Alison Collings3Roger Powell4Rob D. Foale5Nicola Thurley6Jeffrey A. Brockman7Richard J. Mellanby8Danièlle A. Gunn-Moore9Jeffrey J. Schoenebeck10Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies & Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush Veterinary Campus, Midlothian, Edinburgh EH25 9RG, UKRoyal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies & Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush Veterinary Campus, Midlothian, Edinburgh EH25 9RG, UKHill’s Pet Nutrition Centre, Topeka, KS 66603, USAIdexx Laboratories, Wetherby LS22 7DN, UKDragonVet Consulting Ltd., Hertfordshire G5 1EH, UKDick White Referrals, Station Farm, London Road, Six Mile Bottom, Cambridgeshire, Cambridge CB8 0UH, UKDick White Referrals, Station Farm, London Road, Six Mile Bottom, Cambridgeshire, Cambridge CB8 0UH, UKHill’s Pet Nutrition Centre, Topeka, KS 66603, USARoyal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies & Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush Veterinary Campus, Midlothian, Edinburgh EH25 9RG, UKRoyal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies & Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush Veterinary Campus, Midlothian, Edinburgh EH25 9RG, UKRoyal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies & Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush Veterinary Campus, Midlothian, Edinburgh EH25 9RG, UKThe domestic cat is one of the most popular pets in the world. It is estimated that 89–92% of domestic cats in the UK are non-pedigree Domestic shorthair (DSH), Domestic longhair (DLH), or Domestic semi-longhair cats (DSLH). Despite their popularity, little is known of the UK non-pedigree cats’ population structure and breeding dynamics. Using a custom designed single nucleotide variant (SNV) array, this study investigated the population genetics of 1344 UK cats. Principal components analysis (PCA) and fastSTRUCTURE analysis verified that the UK’s DSH, DLH, and DSLH cats are random-bred, rather than admixed, mix breed, or crossbred. In contrast to pedigree cats, the linkage disequilibrium of these random-bred cats was least extensive and decayed rapidly. Homozygosity by descent (HBD) analysis showed the majority of non-pedigree cats had proportionally less of their genome in HBD segments compared to pedigree cats, and that these segments were older. Together, these findings suggest that the DSH, DLH, and DSLH cats should be considered as a population of random-bred cats rather than a crossbred or pedigree-admixed cat. Unexpectedly, 19% of random-bred cat genomes displayed a higher proportion of HBD segments associated with more recent inbreeding events. Therefore, while non-pedigree cats as a whole are genetically diverse, they are not impervious to inbreeding and its health risks.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4425/12/10/1619catpopulation geneticsstructureSNVgenotyperandom-bred |
| spellingShingle | Jennifer Irving McGrath Wengang Zhang Regina Hollar Alison Collings Roger Powell Rob D. Foale Nicola Thurley Jeffrey A. Brockman Richard J. Mellanby Danièlle A. Gunn-Moore Jeffrey J. Schoenebeck More Than a Moggy; A Population Genetics Analysis of the United Kingdom’s Non-Pedigree Cats Genes cat population genetics structure SNV genotype random-bred |
| title | More Than a Moggy; A Population Genetics Analysis of the United Kingdom’s Non-Pedigree Cats |
| title_full | More Than a Moggy; A Population Genetics Analysis of the United Kingdom’s Non-Pedigree Cats |
| title_fullStr | More Than a Moggy; A Population Genetics Analysis of the United Kingdom’s Non-Pedigree Cats |
| title_full_unstemmed | More Than a Moggy; A Population Genetics Analysis of the United Kingdom’s Non-Pedigree Cats |
| title_short | More Than a Moggy; A Population Genetics Analysis of the United Kingdom’s Non-Pedigree Cats |
| title_sort | more than a moggy a population genetics analysis of the united kingdom s non pedigree cats |
| topic | cat population genetics structure SNV genotype random-bred |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4425/12/10/1619 |
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