Genomic insights into the conservation and population genetics of two Chinese native goat breeds

Chinese goats are an important group of goats worldwide. However, there are few studies on the conservation priority, genetic relationship, and potential gene flow between Chinese and global goat breeds. Here, we genotyped 239 goats from conservation populations of the Chinese Guangfeng and Ganxi breeds using the GoatSNP50 BeadChip. The conservation priority, population structure, selection signatures and introgression of these goats were analyzed in the context of 36 global goat breeds. First, we showed that Guangfeng and Ganxi goats had the largest effective population sizes across the global breeds 13 generations ago. Nevertheless, Ganxi goats have recently experienced a high degree of inbreeding, resulting in their conservation priority based on total gene and allelic diversities being lower than that of most other Chinese breeds (including Guangfeng goats). Population structure and admixture analyses showed that an average of 18% of Guangfeng genomic components were introgressed from Boer goats approximately 18-yr ago. Next, we reconstructed the subfamily structure of the core populations of Guangfeng and Ganxi goats, and proposed reasonable conservation strategies for inbreeding management. Moreover, a list of candidate genes under selection for fertility, immunity, growth, and meat quality were detected in Guangfeng and Ganxi goats. Finally, we identified some genes related to body development and reproduction, which were introgressed from Boer goats and may be beneficial for improving performance and productivity of Guangfeng goats. In conclusion, this study not only provides new insights into the conservation and utilization of Guangfeng and Ganxi goats but also enriches our understanding of artificial introgression from exotic goats into Chinese local goats.