The ascent of cat breeds: Genetic evaluations of breeds and worldwide random-bred populations

Abstract

The diaspora of the modern cat was traced with microsatellite markers from the presumed site of domestication to distant regions of the world. Genetic data were derived from over 1100 individuals, representing 17 random-bred populations from five continents and 22 breeds. The Mediterranean was reconfirmed to be the probable site of domestication. Genetic diversity has remained broad throughout the world, with distinct genetic clustering in the Mediterranean basin, Europe/America, Asia and Africa. However, Asian cats appeared to have separated early and expanded in relative isolation. Most breeds were derived from indigenous cats of their purported regions of origin. However, the Persian and Japanese bobtail were more aligned with European/American than with Mediterranean basin or Asian clusters. Three recently derived breeds were not distinct from their parental breeds of origin. Pure breeding was associated with a loss of genetic diversity; however, this loss did not correlate with breed popularity or age.

European wildcat populations are subdivided into five main biogeographic groups: consequences of Pleistocene climate changes or recent anthropogenic fragmentation?

“…Deficiency of heterozygotes, compared to the expected HWE proportions, suggests that the groups (cat subspecies) were mixtures of individuals sampled from genetically distinct natural populations (Wahlund effect; Wahlund 1928), or domestic cat breeds (Lipinski et al. 2008). The individual assignments of the European wildcat genotypes to their geographic clusters were, overall, robust, suggesting that the five groups indeed represent the major genetic subdivisions among wildcats in Europe.…”

“…2003) and screened in other domestic and wildcat studies (Lipinski et al. 2008), were amplified in eight PCR multiplex reactions using the Qiagen Multiplex PCR Kit (primer labeling, PCR recipes, and thermocycling protocol are reported in Table S2). Hair and skin samples were amplified in four replicates in dedicated UV‐hoods, following a multitube approach designed for low‐quality DNA samples.…”

“…2007; Lipinski et al. 2008). Evidences for cat domestication are known from China (c. 5500 years ago) and Egypt (c. 4000 years ago; Hu et al.…”

Toward a genome-wide approach for detecting hybrids: informative SNPs to detect introgression between domestic cats and European wildcats (Felis silvestris)

“…Five known wildcats by domestic cat hybrids obtained in captivity were included in the analyses (Pierpaoli et al, 2003). Domestic cats (F. s. catus, n = 139) living in regions sympatric to the wildcats but in urban areas were also genotyped (Table 1; Lipinski et al, 2008;Kurushima et al, 2012). DNA from tissue samples was extracted as described by Pop is the population designation used in the analyses (codes used in Figure 1).…”

Behavioral Profiles of Feline Breeds in Japan

“…Many investigators have used this species in neuroscience and comparative genomic studies and as a medical model of human disease; however, to date little attention has been directed towards behavioral traits and behavioral differences among breeds [6,11]. This is simply because cats have been artificially selected on the basis of on aesthetic traits such as coat color [9]. In contrast, dogs have undergone intense artificial selection to meet various human demands such as hunting, guarding, and herding.…”