Microsatellite Analysis of Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of the Iranian Kurdish Horse

Native breeds are essential for national stocks and genetic reservoir; therefore, the preservation of indigenous breeds is a key policy priority for countries around the world. Many conservationists would assert that genetic diversity is a prerequisite for adaptive evolution, and preserving genetic diversity will need conservation efforts for the long-term survival of domestic species. This study intended to evaluate the genetic diversity of the Iranian Kurdish horse population based on microsatellite indicators, which can partially prevent it from becoming extinct. Fifty-eight tail hair and blood samples were randomly collected from Kurdistan, Kermanshah, Ilam, West Azerbaijan, Isfahan, Kerman, Hamadan, and Tehran. Genomic DNA extraction was performed by a modified salting out method. The polymerase chain reaction amplification conditions were also separately undertaken for each marker. All microsatellite loci revealed polymorphisms in the studied population. Genetic variation was examined using 12 microsatellite loci (HMS7, HMS3, HMS2, HMS6, ASB2, ASB23, VHL20, HTG10, LEX33, ASB17, AHT4, and AHT5). We found that the means of the observed and effective number of alleles were 7.58 and 4.95, with the minimum and maximum values for each of these indices associated with the loci of HMS2 and ASB17, respectively. Moreover, the mean of observed and expected heterozygosity, polymorphism information content, and Shannon's Information Index of the Iranian Kurdish population were 0.77, 0.78, 0.75, and 1.67, respectively, indicating a high degree of genetic diversity in the entire studied population. More specifically, we acquired a range of new alleles in the Iranian Kurdish horse breed that differed in their genetic structure to those of other Iranian breeds in other studies. This study provides an exciting opportunity to improve our knowledge of genetic information which will be beneficial as a base to identify purebred Kurdish horses for a further Iranian Kurdish horse genetic and breeding program.