Variability of ACOX1 Gene Polymorphisms across Different Horse Breeds with Regard to Selection Pressure

The ACOX1 gene encodes peroxisomal acyl-coenzyme A oxidase 1, the first enzyme in the fatty acid β-oxidation pathway, which could be significant for organisms exposed to long periods of starvation and harsh living conditions. We hypothesized that variations within ACOX1, revealed by RNA Sequencing (RNA-Seq), might be based on adaptation to living conditions and had resulted from selection pressure. There were five different horse breeds used in this study, representing various utility types: Arabian, Thoroughbred, Polish Konik, draft horses, and Hucul. The single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) located in the ACOX1 (rs782885985) was used as a marker and was identified using the PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism method (PCR-RFLP). Results indicated extremely different genotype and allele distributions of the ACOX1 gene across breeds. A predominance of the G allele was exhibited in horses that had adapted to difficult environmental conditions, namely, Polish Konik and Huculs, which are considered to be primitive breeds. The prevalence of the T allele in Thoroughbreds indicated that ACOX1 is significant in energy metabolism during flat racing.