Genetic status of lowland-type Racka sheep colour variants.
A Zsolnai1, I Egerszegi2, L Rózsa3
1NAIK-Research Institute for Animal Breeding, Nutrition and Food Science, Herceghalom, Hungary; National Centre for Biodivertsity and Gene Conservation, Gödöllő, Hungary.
Animal : an International Journal of Animal Bioscience
|February 12, 2021
Summary
Genetic analysis reveals Black and White Racka sheep are distinct breeds, not just color variants. This finding highlights their unique genetic resource status and aids breeders in conservation efforts.
Area of Science:
- Animal Genetics
- Sheep Breeding
- Genomics
Background:
- Racka sheep are an indigenous Hungarian breed and a national symbol.
- Previous genetic descriptions of Racka sheep lacked whole-genome screening.
Purpose of the Study:
- To genetically characterize Black and White Racka sheep using whole-genome screening.
- To determine if color variants represent genetically distinct breeds.
Main Methods:
- Genotyped 126 Black and 128 White Racka sheep using the Geneseek Ovine SNP50 BeadChip.
- Included 134 Hungarian Merinos and 3345 animals from 81 other breeds for comparison.
- Utilized multidimensional scaling, admixture analyses, and genetic distance comparisons.
Main Results:
- Black and White Racka sheep formed well-separated clusters, distinct from each other and other breeds.
- Inbreeding coefficients were 0.147 for Black Racka and 0.133 for White Racka.
- Identified candidate genes (e.g., MC1R) differentiating the color variants.
Conclusions:
- Black and White Racka sheep should be considered genetically differentiated breeds.
- Racka sheep represent a unique genetic resource for conservation and breeding.
- Genome screening can resolve breeder questions and guide conservation strategies.
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