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Published on: March 13, 2011
Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Sika Deer (Cervus nippon) Inferred by mtDNA and Y-Chromosomal Genes
Tianjiao Wang1, Yimeng Dong1, Lei Wang1
1State Key Laboratory for Molecular Biology of Special Economic Animals, Institute of Special Animal and Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun 130112, China.
Abstract:
Sika deer (Cervus nippon), a species mainly distributed in the northeast of Asia, hold significant economic value in China due to their contributions to traditional Chinese medicine. A systematic investigation of their genetic structure is needed for population management. In this study, mitochondrial genome and AMELY, DBY, USP9Y, and SRY gene fragments on Y chromosome were used to elucidate the genetic structure of 303 individuals across 8 distinct populations. The mitosome analysis identified 72 haplotypes, with a haplotype diversity (Hd) of 0.917 and nucleotide diversity (π) of 0.0143, respectively. Meanwhile, 13 haplotypes were defined by Y chromosome genes with a Hd of 0.791. Analysis of the mitochondrial control region (CR) revealed subspecies-specific patterns of tandem repeat unit organization between continental and Japanese groups. Y chromosome analyses demonstrated a homogeneous paternal lineage across Japanese populations.
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