Mitochondrial DNA of seven Italian sheep breeds shows faint signatures of domestication and suggests recent breed formation

Abstract

Italy represented a crucial zone for migration and formation of sheep breeds. However, few data on Italian breeds have been published so far. We analysed seven Italian sheep breeds using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequencing to gain information on their genetic diversity and history. A 721 bp mtDNA control region fragment was amplified and sequenced in a total of 138 samples belonging to seven breeds and to Italian mohuflon (Ovis orientalis musimon) to investigate genetic diversity and phylogenetic evolution. We retrieved 68 variable sites and 79 haplotypes. The sheep breeds in our study are quite diverse, and phylogenetic analyses resulted in 3.6% of the samples belonging to A, 2.2% to D and 94.2% to B mtDNA haplogroups. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) showed a separation of breeds on both dimensions. The results of this study provide data on Italian breeds, presently scarcely investigated, and contribute to the knowledge of Italian sheep breeds and will be useful to the understanding of population genetics and breed evolution.

Keywords::

• Sheep
• mtDNA
• Italy
• genetic variability

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Gabriella Porcai and Paolo Ciorba for technical assistance.

Declaration of interest: This work has been partially supported by a PRIN 2007 (prot. 2007XRBAEN_003) of Italian Ministry of University and Research and by a Bilateral Agreement CNR/ASRT 2011–2012. Part of the sampling was operated in the frame of the EU ECONOGENE project (QLK5-CT-2001-02461); the content of the publication does not necessarily represent the views of the Commission or its services. The authors declare no conflict of interest.