Mitochondrial DNA variation in the Italian Heavy Draught Horse
Background In the last decades, Italy as well as other developed countries have registered a decrease in the population size of many local horse breeds. The continuous crossbreeding has determined the dilution of genetic heritage of several native breeds. The Italian Heavy Draught Horse (IHD) is the...
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PeerJ Inc.
2020-05-01
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| author | Hovirag Lancioni Irene Cardinali Andrea Giontella Maria Teresa Antognoni Arianna Miglio |
| author_facet | Hovirag Lancioni Irene Cardinali Andrea Giontella Maria Teresa Antognoni Arianna Miglio |
| author_sort | Hovirag Lancioni |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background In the last decades, Italy as well as other developed countries have registered a decrease in the population size of many local horse breeds. The continuous crossbreeding has determined the dilution of genetic heritage of several native breeds. The Italian Heavy Draught Horse (IHD) is the only autochthonous Italian coldblooded horse among these breeds; therefore, it represents a resource to be preserved. In 1927, the first generation of this breed was officially created by crossing different Heavy Draught horses with local mares and recorded in a Studbook. Methodology To provide the first comprehensive overview of the genetic diversity of Italian Heavy Draught horses from Central Italy, we produced and phylogenetically analysed 52 mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control-region sequences. Furthermore, we evaluated data available from GenBank (N = 568) to have a more complete scenario and to understand the relationships with other European Heavy Draught horse breeds. Results Among the IHD samples that were analysed, we identified ten of the 17 haplogroups described in modern horses. Most of these sequences fell into L, G, and M lineages, thus showing the overall mtDNA legacy of the ancestral mares that were probably used at the initial stages of breeding selections a long time ago. The high mitochondrial haplotype diversity (Hd = 0.969) found in our samples reflected the multiple maternal origins of the horses. Our results highlighted a considerable percentage of haplotypes shared especially with Bardigiano and Hungarian Heavy Draught breeds. Furthermore, both the presence of four unique haplotypes detected in our samples and their absence among all equine mitochondrial published data demonstrate a mitochondrial peculiarity that needs to be further investigated and preserved with careful breeding practices. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T08:21:17Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fbb4a050f7fe4ea3b81591f6b4b23647 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T08:21:17Z |
| publishDate | 2020-05-01 |
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| spelling | doaj.art-fbb4a050f7fe4ea3b81591f6b4b236472023-12-02T21:50:04ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592020-05-018e899610.7717/peerj.8996Mitochondrial DNA variation in the Italian Heavy Draught HorseHovirag Lancioni0Irene Cardinali1Andrea Giontella2Maria Teresa Antognoni3Arianna Miglio4Department of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology, University of Perugia, Perugia, ItalyDepartment of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology, University of Perugia, Perugia, ItalyDepartment of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, ItalyDepartment of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, ItalyDepartment of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, ItalyBackground In the last decades, Italy as well as other developed countries have registered a decrease in the population size of many local horse breeds. The continuous crossbreeding has determined the dilution of genetic heritage of several native breeds. The Italian Heavy Draught Horse (IHD) is the only autochthonous Italian coldblooded horse among these breeds; therefore, it represents a resource to be preserved. In 1927, the first generation of this breed was officially created by crossing different Heavy Draught horses with local mares and recorded in a Studbook. Methodology To provide the first comprehensive overview of the genetic diversity of Italian Heavy Draught horses from Central Italy, we produced and phylogenetically analysed 52 mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control-region sequences. Furthermore, we evaluated data available from GenBank (N = 568) to have a more complete scenario and to understand the relationships with other European Heavy Draught horse breeds. Results Among the IHD samples that were analysed, we identified ten of the 17 haplogroups described in modern horses. Most of these sequences fell into L, G, and M lineages, thus showing the overall mtDNA legacy of the ancestral mares that were probably used at the initial stages of breeding selections a long time ago. The high mitochondrial haplotype diversity (Hd = 0.969) found in our samples reflected the multiple maternal origins of the horses. Our results highlighted a considerable percentage of haplotypes shared especially with Bardigiano and Hungarian Heavy Draught breeds. Furthermore, both the presence of four unique haplotypes detected in our samples and their absence among all equine mitochondrial published data demonstrate a mitochondrial peculiarity that needs to be further investigated and preserved with careful breeding practices.https://peerj.com/articles/8996.pdfMitochondrial DNA variationItalian Heavy Draught HorseHorse mitochondrial haplogroupPhylogenyManagement of genetic resourcesGenetic conservation strategy |
| spellingShingle | Hovirag Lancioni Irene Cardinali Andrea Giontella Maria Teresa Antognoni Arianna Miglio Mitochondrial DNA variation in the Italian Heavy Draught Horse PeerJ Mitochondrial DNA variation Italian Heavy Draught Horse Horse mitochondrial haplogroup Phylogeny Management of genetic resources Genetic conservation strategy |
| title | Mitochondrial DNA variation in the Italian Heavy Draught Horse |
| title_full | Mitochondrial DNA variation in the Italian Heavy Draught Horse |
| title_fullStr | Mitochondrial DNA variation in the Italian Heavy Draught Horse |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mitochondrial DNA variation in the Italian Heavy Draught Horse |
| title_short | Mitochondrial DNA variation in the Italian Heavy Draught Horse |
| title_sort | mitochondrial dna variation in the italian heavy draught horse |
| topic | Mitochondrial DNA variation Italian Heavy Draught Horse Horse mitochondrial haplogroup Phylogeny Management of genetic resources Genetic conservation strategy |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/8996.pdf |
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