Analysis of genetic diversity and structure of Mongolian horse using microsatellite markers

Jehyun An; Khaliunaa Tseveen; Baatartsogt Oyungerel; Hong Sik Kong

doi:10.5187/jast.2022.e82

Analysis of genetic diversity and structure of Mongolian horse using microsatellite markers

J Anim Sci Technol. 2022 Nov;64(6):1226-1236. doi: 10.5187/jast.2022.e82. Epub 2022 Nov 30.

Authors

Jehyun An¹, Khaliunaa Tseveen², Baatartsogt Oyungerel², Hong Sik Kong^{1

3

4}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Applied Biotechnology, The Graduate School of Hankyong National University, Anseong 17579, Korea.
² Department of Biotechnology, Mongolian University of Life Sciences, Ulaanbaatar 17024, Mongolia.
³ Hankyong and Genetics, Anseong 17579, Korea.
⁴ Gyeonggi Regional Research Center, Hankyong National University, Anseong 17579, Korea.

Abstract

Mongolian horses are one of the oldest horse breeds, and are very important livestock in Mongolia as they are used in various fields such as transportation, food (milk, meat), and horse racing. In addition, research and preservation on pure Mongolian breeds are being promoted under the implementation of the new Genetics of Livestock Resources' act in Mongolia. However, despite the implementation of this act, genetic research on Mongolian horses using microsatellites (MS) has not progressed enough. Therefore, this study was conducted to analyze the genetic polymorphism of five breeds (Gobi shankh, Tes, Gal shar, Darkhad, and Undurshil) using 14 MS markers recommended by International Society for Animal Genetics (ISAG). The mean number of alleles (MNA) was 8.29, expected heterozygosity frequency (H_Exp) was 0.767, observed heterozygosity frequency (H_Obs) was 0.752, and polymorphism information content (PIC) was 0.729. The Nei's genetic distance analysis showed that the genetic distance between Gobi shankh and Darkhad horses was the farthest, and the other three breeds, Tes, Gal shar, and Undurshil were found to be close to each other. Similarly, the principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) and factorial correspondence analysis (FCA) showed that the Gobi shankh and Darkhad horses were genetically distinct from other breeds. On the other hand, it appears that Tes, Gal shar, and Undurshil horses, which are genetically similar, most likely interbred with each other. Therefore, it is expected that these results will help the conservation of genetic resources in Mongolia and the establishment of policies related to Mongolian horses.

Keywords: Factorial correspondence analysis (FCA); Genetic polymorphism; International Society for Animal Genetics (ISAG); Mongolian breeds; Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA).