Genetic characterization and founder effect analysis of recently introduced Salers cattle breed population

Abstract

Salers are a native French breed used for beef and dairy production that has expanded to all the continents. The Salers breed was introduced to the north of Spain in 1985 with only 15 individuals from France and has successfully increased to over 20 000 animals. Although over time new animals have been imported from France for breeding, it is possible that the limiting number of founder animals could have resulted in a reduction of the genetic diversity found in Spanish Salers. Thus, the purpose of the present study has been to characterize the genetic diversity of Salers breed in Spain and evaluate a possible founder effect due to reduced number of the first reproducers. A total of 403 individuals from 12 Salers herds were analyzed using 12 microsatellite markers and compared with phylogenetically and geographically close related Blonde d'Aquitaine, Limousin and Charolais French breeds but also other 16 European breeds. Microsatellites in Salers were polymorphic, with a mean allelic richness of 5.129 and an expected heterozygosity of 0.621 across loci (0.576 to 0.736 among all breeds). Average observed heterozygosity was 0.618. All the loci fit the Hardy-Weinberg (HW) equilibrium except TGLA227 locus due to a significant deficit of heterozygotes in only one of the herds, probably attributable to a sampling effect. When all loci were combined, Salers inbreeding coefficient did not differ statistically from 0 (F IS=0.005), indicating not significant excess or deficit of heterozygotes (P=0.309). Based in allelic distribution, Salers revealed a frequency of 0.488 in BM2113-131 and 0.064 in BM2113-143 diagnostic alleles, which are specific to the African zebu. These zebu alleles are also found in some French breeds, supported by STR data previously postulated hypothesis of a migration route through Mediterranean route by which North African cattle may have left a genetic signature in southern Europe. Phylogenetic tree and population structure analyses could unambiguously differentiate Salers cattle from the other populations and 10% of the total genetic variability could be attributed to differences among breeds (mean R ST=0.105; P<0.01). Mutation-drift equilibrium tests (sign test and Wilcoxon's sign rank test) were in correspondence to the absence of founder effect when Bonferroni was applied. Gene diversity previously reported in French Salers was comparable with the observed in our population. Thus, high genetic diversity in Spanish Salers highlights the resources of this population, which looks toward future breeding and selection programs.

Distinct correlations between lipogenic gene expression and fatty acid composition of subcutaneous fat among cattle breeds

“…There is evidence for differential gene expression profiles in these two fat depots [ 30 ]. In this regard, the present study aimed to evaluate the regulation of SCD and SREBP1 , genes strongly affecting the FA composition of subcutaneous adipose tissue, in three genetically diverse bovine breeds commercialized in the Basque region of northern Spain; Pirenaica, Salers and Holstein-Friesian [ 5 , 31 , 32 ]. Expression of SCD1 did not differ significantly between Pirenaica bulls and heifers or among young cattle of Salers and Pirenaica.…”

“…Pirenaica is the most important beef cattle breed raised in the Basque region of northern Spain and is highly appreciated both for its value as a genetic resource as well as for the production system that has developed around it. In addition to Pirenaica, Salers, a rustic cattle breed used for beef production, has grown in importance due to its ready adaptability to local management and environmental conditions [ 5 ]. Finally, Holstein-Friesian, primarily as cull dairy cows, are also an integral part of the regional beef supply chain.…”

Association of a polymorphism in SREBP1 with fatty acid composition and lipogenic gene expression in beef cattle breeds

“…The scientific literature shows that beef breeds seem to have higher S allele frequency compared to dairy breeds. Interestingly, S allele frequency of Salers was similar to Limousin (0.335; [20]) breed, which might be an effect of the phylogenetically and geographically close relationship between the two breeds [42]. In general, these results indicate higher S allele frequencies in European beef cattle breeds, although the highest frequency values were reported in Japanese Black (0.450; [18]).…”

Genetic Characterization of the Local Pirenaica Cattle for Parentage and Traceability Purposes

“…According to the probabilities of K as a log-likelihood given K clusters [32], the corresponding ΔK statistic showed that maximal ΔK occurred at K = 2. Pirenaica and Terreña breeds presented the zebu-diagnostic BM2113-131 allele, which has also been described in Salers [16]. Therefore, the ΔK method may underestimate K considering a common African genetic signature in these three breeds, whereas the geographical origin may indicate an optimal K = 3.…”

“…Genetic relationships of Pirenaica were analyzed against Terreña, Salers and Holstein-Friesian STR data from our previous studies [15,16]. Reynolds genetic distance measures were computed by Arlequin 3.5 [22].…”