Adaptive introgression from indicine cattle into white cattle breeds from Central Italy

Abstract

cattle domestication occurred at least twice independently and gave rise to the modern taurine and indicine cattle breeds. european cattle diversity is generally dominated by taurine cattle, although elevated levels of indicine ancestry have been recorded in several breeds from southern europe. Here we use genome-wide high-density Snp genotyping data to investigate the taurine and indicine ancestry in southern European cattle, based on a dataset comprising 508 individuals from 23 cattle breeds of taurine, indicine and mixed ancestry, including three breeds from central italy known to exhibit the highest levels of indicine introgression among southern european breeds. Based on local genomic ancestry analyses, we reconstruct taurine and indicine ancestry genome-wide and along chromosomes. We scrutinise local genomic introgression signals and identify genomic regions that have introgressed from indicine into taurine cattle under positive selection, harbouring genes with functions related to body size and feed efficiency. These findings suggest that indicine-derived traits helped enhance Central Italian cattle through adaptive introgression. The identified genes could provide genomic targets for selection for improved cattle performance. Our findings elucidate the key role of adaptive introgression in shaping the phenotypic features of modern cattle, aided by cultural and livestock exchange among historic human societies.

Evolution and domestication of the Bovini species

“…2018; Barbato et al . 2020), the Netherlands (Van Breukelen et al . 2019), Russia (Yurchenko et al .…”

“…2014; Barbato et al . 2020). The Italian Podolian breeds emerged from documented massive imports from the fifteenth to eighteenth centuries of east‐European steppe cattle (oxen as well as fertile animals) via the Adriatic ports of Zadar and Venice (Felius et al .…”

Fifteen Shades of Grey: Combined Analysis of Genome-Wide SNP Data in Steppe and Mediterranean Grey Cattle Sheds New Light on the Molecular Basis of Coat Color

“…All extant domestic cattle belong to two major lineages, Bos taurus taurus and Bos taurus indicus, derived from independent domestications. However, current cattle biodiversity is not only the result of genetic drift and natural and artificial selection, but also of putative introgression and admixture events between the two cattle lineages, which occurred in almost all continents, giving rise to more than 1100 recognized breeds [17][18][19][20][21]. Such a tremendous diversity is emphasized by a vast array of phenotypic traits such as coat color, body size, behavior, and production traits [22].…”

“…Such a tremendous diversity is emphasized by a vast array of phenotypic traits such as coat color, body size, behavior, and production traits [22]. Concerning coat color, the switch from fawn to grey is rather common on almost all continents in cattle breeds of the so-called Steppe/Podolian trunk, which is considered a group having the many ancestral traits within taurine [23,24] but with increasing evidence of a remnant indicine introgression [20]. The typical diluted grey coat observed in these animals is considered to confer a better thermoregulation ability in comparison to darker coated cattle due to higher light reflectance [25], while the pigmented skin contributes to protection against ultraviolet radiation.…”

Identification of Ancestry Informative Marker (AIM) Panels to Assess Hybridisation between Feral and Domestic Sheep

“…Genetic hybridisation among related species is increasingly studied due to its role in the adaptation, evolution, and diversification of species [1][2][3][4][5]. Hybridisation due to crossbreeding between interfertile species can occur due to range overlap of the populations [6], or can be promoted by anthropogenic activities [7][8][9].…”