The Bulgarian Grey Cattle (BGC) and Shorthorn Rhodopean Cattle (SRC) are indigenous breeds from the Balkan Peninsula region. The Balkans, as part of Southeast Europe, is a crucial civilization crossroad of cultures, people, and livestock. This region is considered the civilization “cradle” of prehistoric times (around 6500 BC). The aim of the present study is to reveal the genetic profile and population structure of BGC and SRC according to displacement loop control region. The results showed that these ancient cattle breeds belong to the common T1, T2, and T3 haplogroups. Within the BGC population the T3a sub-haplogroup was predominant (about 80% – 31/39) with haplotypes BGC-4.1 (33% – 13/39) and BGC-4.2 (about 40% – 16/39). Mitochondrial DNA analysis of SRC population showed a heterogeneous structure consisting of five basic haplo- and sub-haplogroups, all based on twelve haplotypes with equal frequencies. Based on 173G polymorphic site newly named sub-haplogroup T3c was proposed. A detailed comparative analysis with other Balkan cattle populations was performed. Data showed multiple haplotype mtDNA profile with no phylogenetic relationships within.
Achilli Alessandro, Olivieri Anna, Pellecchia Marco, Uboldi Cristina, Colli Licia, Al-Zahery Nadia, Accetturo Matteo, Pala Maria, Kashani Baharak Hooshiar, Perego Ugo A., Battaglia Vincenza, Fornarino Simona, Kalamati Javad, Houshmand Massoud, Negrini Riccardo, Semino Ornella, Richards Martin, Macaulay Vincent, Ferretti Luca, Bandelt Hans-Jürgen, Ajmone-Marsan Paolo, Torroni Antonio (2008): Mitochondrial genomes of extinct aurochs survive in domestic cattle. Current Biology, 18, R157-R158
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2008.01.019
Achilli Alessandro, Bonfiglio Silvia, Olivieri Anna, Malusà Arianna, Pala Maria, Kashani Baharak Hooshiar, Perego Ugo A., Ajmone-Marsan Paolo, Liotta Luigi, Semino Ornella, Bandelt Hans-Jürgen, Ferretti Luca, Torroni Antonio, Macaulay Vincent (2009): The Multifaceted Origin of Taurine Cattle Reflected by the Mitochondrial Genome. PLoS ONE, 4, e5753-
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0005753
Ajmone-Marsan Paolo, Garcia José Fernando, Lenstra Johannes A. (2010): On the origin of cattle: How aurochs became cattle and colonized the world. Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews, 19, 148-157
https://doi.org/10.1002/evan.20267
Altschul Stephen F., Gish Warren, Miller Webb, Myers Eugene W., Lipman David J. (1990): Basic local alignment search tool. Journal of Molecular Biology, 215, 403-410
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-2836(05)80360-2
Anderson S., de Bruijn M.H.L., Coulson A.R., Eperon I.C., Sanger F., Young I.G. (1982): Complete sequence of bovine mitochondrial DNA conserved features of the mammalian mitochondrial genome. Journal of Molecular Biology, 156, 683-717
https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-2836(82)90137-1
Beja-Pereira A., Caramelli D., Lalueza-Fox C., Vernesi C., Ferrand N., Casoli A., Goyache F., Royo L. J., Conti S., Lari M., Martini A., Ouragh L., Magid A., Atash A., Zsolnai A., Boscato P., Triantaphylidis C., Ploumi K., Sineo L., Mallegni F., Taberlet P., Erhardt G., Sampietro L., Bertranpetit J., Barbujani G., Luikart G., Bertorelle G. (): The origin of European cattle: Evidence from modern and ancient DNA. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 103, 8113-8118
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0509210103
Bonfiglio S., Achilli A., Olivieri A., Negrini R., Colli L., Liotta L., Ajmone-Marsan P., Torroni A., Ferretti L. (2010): The enigmatic origin of bovine mtDNA haplogroup R: Sporadic interbreeding or an independent event of Bos primigenius domestication in Italy? PLoS One, 5: e15760.
Bradley D. G., MacHugh D. E., Cunningham P., Loftus R. T. (1996): Mitochondrial diversity and the origins of African and European cattle.. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 93, 5131-5135
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.93.10.5131
Bradley Daniel G., Loftus Ronan T., Cunningham Patrick, MacHugh David E. (1998): Genetics and domestic cattle origins. Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews, 6, 79-86
https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1520-6505(1998)6:3<79::AID-EVAN2>3.0.CO;2-R
Chen S., Lin B.-Z., Baig M., Mitra B., Lopes R. J., Santos A. M., Magee D. A., Azevedo M., Tarroso P., Sasazaki S., Ostrowski S., Mahgoub O., Chaudhuri T. K., Zhang Y.-p., Costa V., Royo L. J., Goyache F., Luikart G., Boivin N., Fuller D. Q., Mannen H., Bradley D. G., Beja-Pereira A. (): Zebu Cattle Are an Exclusive Legacy of the South Asia Neolithic. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 27, 1-6
https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msp213
Cortés O., Tupac-Yupanqui I., Dunner S., García-Atance M. A., García D., Fernández J., Cañón J. (2008): Ancestral matrilineages and mitochondrial DNA diversity of the Lidia cattle breed. Animal Genetics, 39, 649-654
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2052.2008.01782.x
Ivankovic A., Ramljak J., Dovc P. (2012): Mitochondrial genetic variation in two Podolian cattle breeds in Croatia. In: Book of Abctracts of the 63rd Annual Meeting of the European Federation of Animal Science. Wageningen Academic Publishers, Wageningen, the Netherlands, 12.
Kantanen J, Edwards C J, Bradley D G, Viinalass H, Thessler S, Ivanova Z, Kiselyova T, Ćinkulov M, Popov R, Stojanović S, Ammosov I, Vilkki J (): Maternal and paternal genealogy of Eurasian taurine cattle (Bos taurus). Heredity, 103, 404-415
https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.2009.68
Kimura Motoo (1980): A simple method for estimating evolutionary rates of base substitutions through comparative studies of nucleotide sequences. Journal of Molecular Evolution, 16, 111-120
https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01731581
Lai Song-Jia, Liu Yi-Ping, Liu Yan-Xing, Li Xue-Wei, Yao Yong-Gang (2006): Genetic diversity and origin of Chinese cattle revealed by mtDNA D-loop sequence variation. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 38, 146-154
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2005.06.013
Loftus R. T., MacHugh D. E., Bradley D. G., Sharp P. M., Cunningham P. (1994): Evidence for two independent domestications of cattle.. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 91, 2757-2761
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.91.7.2757
Ludwig A., Alderson L., Fandrey E., Lieckfeldt D., Soederlund T. K., Froelich K. (2013): Tracing the genetic roots of the indigenous White Park Cattle. Animal Genetics, 44, 383-386
https://doi.org/10.1111/age.12026
Mannen H, Kohno M, Nagata Y, Tsuji S, Bradley D.G, Yeo J.S, Nyamsamba D, Zagdsuren Y, Yokohama M, Nomura K, Amano T (2004): Independent mitochondrial origin and historical genetic differentiation in North Eastern Asian cattle. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 32, 539-544
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2004.01.010
Maretto F., Ramljak J., Sbarra F., Penasa M., Mantovani R., Ivanković A., Bittante G. (2012): Genetic relationships among Italian and Croatian Podolian cattle breeds assessed by microsatellite markers. Livestock Science, 150, 256-264
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.livsci.2012.09.011
Mason I.L. (1996): A World Dictionary of Livestock Breeds, Types and Varieties. CAB International, Wallingford, UK.
Meadow R.H. (1993): Animal domestication in the Middle East: a revised view from the eastern margin. In Possehl G. (ed.): Harappan Civilization. Oxford University Press and India Book House, New Delhi, India, 295–320.
Mirol P M, Giovambattista G, Lirón J P, Dulout F N (2003): African and European mitochondrial haplotypes in South American Creole cattle. Heredity, 91, 248-254
https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.hdy.6800312
Orton David (2012): Herding, Settlement, and Chronology in the Balkan Neolithic. European Journal of Archaeology, 15, 5-40
https://doi.org/10.1179/1461957112Y.0000000003
Russell N. (1998): Cattle as wealth in Neolithic Europe: where’s the beef? In: Bailey D. (ed.): The Archaeology of Value: Essays on Prestige and the Process of Valuation. BARIS Press, Oxford, UK, 42–54.
Soysal M.I., Kok S. (2008): The last survivors of Grey cattle resisting extinction. A case study of characteristics and sustainability of traditional systems of native Grey cattle breeds. In : Olaizola A., Boutonnet J.P., Bernues A. (eds): Mediterranean Livestock Production: Uncertainties and Opportunities. Options Méditerranéennes: Series A. Mediterranean Seminars, 78, 55–63.
Tamura K., Peterson D., Peterson N., Stecher G., Nei M., Kumar S. (): MEGA5: Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis Using Maximum Likelihood, Evolutionary Distance, and Maximum Parsimony Methods. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 28, 2731-2739
https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msr121
Troy C.S., MacHugh D.E., Bailey J.F., Magee D.A., Loftus R.T., Cunningham P., Chamberlain A.T., Sykes B.C., Bradley D.G. (2001): Genetic evidence for Near-Eastern origins of European cattle. Nature, 410, 1088–1099.
https://doi.org/10.1038/35074088
