Assessment of Heterozygosity in European Local and Cosmopolitan Pig Populations
Researchers focused on assessing differences in gene diversity within and between populations, whether cosmopolitan or local. However, the identification of patterns of variation in non-random heterozygous genomic stretches, known as Heterozygosity-Rich regions (HRRs), has not yet been determined in...
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MDPI AG
2025-04-01
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| author | Maria Chiara Fabbri Katherine D. Arias Marcos P. G. Rezende Francesco Tiezzi Stefano Biffani Felix Goyache Giuseppina Schiavo Samuele Bovo Luca Fontanesi Marjeta Čandek-Potokar Maria Muñoz Cristina Ovilo Klavdija Poklukar Martin Škrlep Riccardo Bozzi |
| author_facet | Maria Chiara Fabbri Katherine D. Arias Marcos P. G. Rezende Francesco Tiezzi Stefano Biffani Felix Goyache Giuseppina Schiavo Samuele Bovo Luca Fontanesi Marjeta Čandek-Potokar Maria Muñoz Cristina Ovilo Klavdija Poklukar Martin Škrlep Riccardo Bozzi |
| author_sort | Maria Chiara Fabbri |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Researchers focused on assessing differences in gene diversity within and between populations, whether cosmopolitan or local. However, the identification of patterns of variation in non-random heterozygous genomic stretches, known as Heterozygosity-Rich regions (HRRs), has not yet been determined in European local pig breeds. A total of 23 pig breeds (20 local and 3 cosmopolitan) were assessed and compared in terms of heterozygosity-rich regions. The breeds with the highest number of HRRs were Large White, Lithuanian Old type, and Landrace, followed by Lithuanian Native, Mora Romagnola, and Duroc. The breeds with the lowest number were Alentejana, Iberian, and Majorcan Black. No shared HRR islands were found in all breeds, but gene enrichment analysis performed in the most common HRRs revealed several biologically important genes that cluster together and play significant roles, primarily related to the immune system. Permutation analysis indicated that some local breeds serve as true reservoirs of genetic diversity, displaying distinct and unique characteristics in terms of heterozygosity. This study suggests the importance of investigating heterozygosity to develop a comprehensive picture of pig breeds, regardless of the production system, country of origin, or population size. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8cb3334c8af64bb8aea7572566698bf4 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2077-0472 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Agriculture |
| spelling | doaj-art-8cb3334c8af64bb8aea7572566698bf42025-08-20T03:06:28ZengMDPI AGAgriculture2077-04722025-04-0115776110.3390/agriculture15070761Assessment of Heterozygosity in European Local and Cosmopolitan Pig PopulationsMaria Chiara Fabbri0Katherine D. Arias1Marcos P. G. Rezende2Francesco Tiezzi3Stefano Biffani4Felix Goyache5Giuseppina Schiavo6Samuele Bovo7Luca Fontanesi8Marjeta Čandek-Potokar9Maria Muñoz10Cristina Ovilo11Klavdija Poklukar12Martin Škrlep13Riccardo Bozzi14Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agrarie, Alimentari, Ambientali e Forestali, Università di Firenze, 50144 Firenze, ItalyÁrea de Genética y Reproducción Animal, SERIDA-Deva, 33394 Gijón, SpainAssociazione Nazionale Allevatori Razza Bruna, 37012 Bussolengo, ItalyDipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agrarie, Alimentari, Ambientali e Forestali, Università di Firenze, 50144 Firenze, ItalyInstitute of Agricultural Biology and Biotechnology-CNR, 20133 Milano, ItalyÁrea de Genética y Reproducción Animal, SERIDA-Deva, 33394 Gijón, SpainDepartment of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Division of Animal Sciences, University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, ItalyDepartment of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Division of Animal Sciences, University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, ItalyDepartment of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Division of Animal Sciences, University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, ItalyKmetijski Inštitut Slovenije, Hacquetova ulica 17, 1000 Ljubljana, SloveniaDepartamento Mejora Genética Animal, INIA-CSIC, Crta. de la Coruña, km. 7,5, 28040 Madrid, SpainDepartamento Mejora Genética Animal, INIA-CSIC, Crta. de la Coruña, km. 7,5, 28040 Madrid, SpainKmetijski Inštitut Slovenije, Hacquetova ulica 17, 1000 Ljubljana, SloveniaKmetijski Inštitut Slovenije, Hacquetova ulica 17, 1000 Ljubljana, SloveniaDipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agrarie, Alimentari, Ambientali e Forestali, Università di Firenze, 50144 Firenze, ItalyResearchers focused on assessing differences in gene diversity within and between populations, whether cosmopolitan or local. However, the identification of patterns of variation in non-random heterozygous genomic stretches, known as Heterozygosity-Rich regions (HRRs), has not yet been determined in European local pig breeds. A total of 23 pig breeds (20 local and 3 cosmopolitan) were assessed and compared in terms of heterozygosity-rich regions. The breeds with the highest number of HRRs were Large White, Lithuanian Old type, and Landrace, followed by Lithuanian Native, Mora Romagnola, and Duroc. The breeds with the lowest number were Alentejana, Iberian, and Majorcan Black. No shared HRR islands were found in all breeds, but gene enrichment analysis performed in the most common HRRs revealed several biologically important genes that cluster together and play significant roles, primarily related to the immune system. Permutation analysis indicated that some local breeds serve as true reservoirs of genetic diversity, displaying distinct and unique characteristics in terms of heterozygosity. This study suggests the importance of investigating heterozygosity to develop a comprehensive picture of pig breeds, regardless of the production system, country of origin, or population size.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/7/761autochthonous breedfitnessheterozygosity-rich regionsruns of heterozygosity<i>Sus scrofa</i> |
| spellingShingle | Maria Chiara Fabbri Katherine D. Arias Marcos P. G. Rezende Francesco Tiezzi Stefano Biffani Felix Goyache Giuseppina Schiavo Samuele Bovo Luca Fontanesi Marjeta Čandek-Potokar Maria Muñoz Cristina Ovilo Klavdija Poklukar Martin Škrlep Riccardo Bozzi Assessment of Heterozygosity in European Local and Cosmopolitan Pig Populations Agriculture autochthonous breed fitness heterozygosity-rich regions runs of heterozygosity <i>Sus scrofa</i> |
| title | Assessment of Heterozygosity in European Local and Cosmopolitan Pig Populations |
| title_full | Assessment of Heterozygosity in European Local and Cosmopolitan Pig Populations |
| title_fullStr | Assessment of Heterozygosity in European Local and Cosmopolitan Pig Populations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessment of Heterozygosity in European Local and Cosmopolitan Pig Populations |
| title_short | Assessment of Heterozygosity in European Local and Cosmopolitan Pig Populations |
| title_sort | assessment of heterozygosity in european local and cosmopolitan pig populations |
| topic | autochthonous breed fitness heterozygosity-rich regions runs of heterozygosity <i>Sus scrofa</i> |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/7/761 |
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