Analysis of runs of homozygosity of cattle living in different climate zones

Abstract

Domestication and evolution of cattle originated different modern breeds in different places worldwide. The interaction between natural and artificial selection and the adaptation to environment shaped the genome, and the three different types of cattle here considered (taurus, indicus, and composite) may harbor different selection signatures. To study the difference among types and region of origin (tropics, temperate, and continental zones), Regions of Homozygosity (ROH) were used. ROH are continuous homozygous chromosomal segments identical by descendent, which characteristics can give information about inbreeding occurrence and natural and artificial selection. Moreover, it had been investigated which genes were mapped in these regions, and if interesting differences pertaining to environmental adaptation or fitness in general, could be observed.