Assessment of genetic diversity among two Egyptian cattle populations (Bos taurus)‎ based on autosomal microsatellite markers

Abstract EN

Two native cattle populations raised in Farafra and Siwa oases, located in the Western Desert of Egypt, were genotyped using eight microsatellite molecular markers (MM8, INRA063, BM1818, ILSTS054, ILSTS005, HEL5, ILSTS006 and ILSTS011).

Blood samples, collected from 38 individual cattle (19 from Farafra and 19 from Siwa), were subjected to DNA extraction and subsequently to SSR-PCR amplification.

Heterozygosity and Wrights F-statistics (FIS, FST and FIT) were calculated to assess the genetic variation in these populations.

In the present study, high values of FIS were detected in Siwa (83%) and Farafra (69%) cattle with moderate genetic differentiation (13%) between the two populations.

A total number of 22 and 29 alleles with means 2.75±0.71 and 3.63±0.74 were observed in Siwa and Farafra cattle, respectively.

Alleles observed per locus ranged between 2 (loci ILSTS054, ILSTS005 and ILSTS011) to 4 (locus HEL5) in Siwa cattle and between 3 (loci ILSTS005, HEL5, ILSTS006 and ILSTS011) to 5 (locus BM1818) in Farafra cattle populations.

Mean values of observed and expected heterozygosities were 0.09± 0.27 and0.46 ± 0.21 for Siwa cattle, meanwhile it ranged from 0.20± 0.35to 0.66 ± 0.07 in Farafra cattle.

Polymorphic information content value (PIC) ranged from 0.10 to 0.71 for marker ILSTS005 and HEL5, respectively, with a mean value of 0.45 for all loci in Siwa cattle.

Moreover, its range was 0.52 (ILSTS054) to 0.74 (BM1818) for all loci with a mean of 0.64 in Farfra cattle.

Population fixation indices traced about 0.653 variation referring to differences among individuals versus total variance (FIT), where it was the lowest among populations differences versus total variance (FST= 0.237) indicating low level of population differentiation.

A pair-wise difference amongst Siwa and Farafra cattle populations was recorded (0.546) among populations (F index (FIS).Moreover, 4 and 11private alleles were observed in Siwa and Farafra cattle populations, respectively.

Following that we are suggested the use of these alleles as population fingerprint and they could be used to differentiate these two populations.