Genetic structure of Auliekol cattle breed using 50K SNP BeadChip

Abstract

Background and Aim. The Auliekol cattle breed is a meat producing breed, predominantly found in Kazakhstan. The breed was developed from 1960 to 1990 by crossing the Kazakh Whiteheaded breed with Charolais and Aberdeen Angus bulls. The aim of this study was to analyze the genetic and population structure using a genotyping assay, and examining the relationship between the ancestral breeds.

Materials and Methods. DNA was extracted from 48 blood samples of the Auliekol breed and genotyped using Bovine SNP 50K BeadChip. Genetic distances were calculated using Nei’s method based on SNP data in R.Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was performed to explore the population structure and genetic stratification using PLINK.

Results. According to Nei's genetic distance, Charolais (0.0046) and Kazakh Whiteheaded (0.00693) are genetically closest to the Auliekol breed, whereas the Kazakh breed from Russia (0.0113) shows greater genetic differentiation, and Angus (0.024) is the most distant. The principal component analysis (PCA) demonstrated that Auliekol breed has a distinct genetic structure separate from European cattle breeds. The analysis also showed the hybrid origin of the breed and the influence of the Kazakh Whiteheaded and European breeds on the formation of the traits of the Auliekol breed.

Conclusion. The findings from the structural analysis contribute to the development of a system of breeding records and preservation of the Auliekol breed of meat productivity in Kazakhstan.