Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Milan Markovic, Dusica Radonjic, Minja Zorc, Milena Dokic, Bozidarka Markovic
Summary: Sheep production is vital for the rural economy and food security in the mountainous areas of Montenegro. Local sheep breeds are at risk of extinction and this study provides important insights for the conservation and sustainable use of sheep populations through genetic characterization.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
G. Radhika, T. V. Aravindakshan, K. Anilkumar, M. Manoj, Stephy Thomas
Summary: This study examined the genetic diversity between seven different genetic groups of cattle in Kerala state, India. The results showed distinct genetic differences between the Vilwadri and Kasaragod cattle and other groups.
ANIMAL BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Amali Malshani Samaraweera, Ranga Liyanage, Mohamed Nawaz Ibrahim, Ally Mwai Okeyo, Jianlin Han, Pradeepa Silva
Summary: Genetic diversity of local chicken populations in Sri Lanka was analyzed using microsatellite markers, revealing high diversity and potential for crossbreeding between different phenotypes. This diversity is attributed to differences in breeding practices and interactions between villages, indicating a rich gene pool that could be utilized for future breeding programs.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Zhong Zhuang, Long Zhao, Weicheng Zong, Qixin Guo, Xiaofan Li, Yulin Bi, Zixiu Wang, Yong Jiang, Guohong Chen, Bichun Li, Guobin Chang, Hao Bai
Summary: South Asia and Southeast Asia are rich in poultry genetic resources, resulting in many unique local chicken breeds. However, with the rapid intensification of poultry farming worldwide, many local chicken breeds are threatened with extinction. It is imperative to strengthen the conservation and breeding of local chicken breeds in China and Vietnam.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Bingjian Liu, Jiasheng Li, Kun Zhang, Ying Peng, Yifan Liu, Xun Jin, Sixu Zheng, Yunpeng Wang, Liqin Liu, Zhenming Lu, Shufei Zhang, Li Gong
Summary: Using microsatellite markers, this study evaluated the genetic diversity and population structure of Konosirus punctatus in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean, revealing five genetically divergent clades and significant isolation by distance. The results suggest that historical climate shifts and environmental factors may contribute to the present-day genetic architecture of K. punctatus, providing new perspectives for effective management strategies.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
O. Rahal, C. Aissaoui, N. Ata, O. Yilmaz, I. Cemal, A. Ameur, S. B. S. Gaouar
Summary: The study revealed significant genetic variability in Algerian indigenous cattle populations, with low genetic differentiation among populations. The majority of genetic variation can be explained by genetic differences among individuals. Through factorial correspondence analysis and dendrogram, cattle populations were clustered into three groups.
ANIMAL BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Clara Vega, Victoria Fernandez, Luis Gil, Maria Valbuena-Carabana
Summary: This study evaluates the clonal and fine-scale spatial genetic structure of English holly in a sub-Mediterranean mixed forest in central Spain. The results show high clonal diversity and strong fine-scale genetic structure in the dense coppiced area, while the open woody pasture area exhibits weaker structure. Current management strategies do not seem to negatively affect the genetic diversity of this species.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tugba Sutcu, Behiye Banu Bilgen, Metin Tuna
Summary: This study assessed the diversity of 83 sainfoin genotypes and found their genetic distance and division into two main clusters, which are important for breeding programs.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Suwash Kunwar, Li-Qiu Wang, Rajeev Chaudhary, Puspa Raj Joshi, Arshad Ali
Summary: The study revealed that high species richness and individual tree size variation can enhance aboveground biomass (AGB) in tropical forests, with evolutionary diversity playing a role dependent on the specific forest types. Phylogenetically close species were found to increase AGB across all forests, while both phylogenetically close and distant species contributed to higher AGB in certain forest types.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Xinyu Li, Minjun Dai, Minqiu Wang, Xingtong Wu, Mengying Cai, Yiling Tao, Jiadi Huang, Yafeng Wen
Summary: This study filled the research gap on the geographic variation and environmental adaptability of Liushan, a widely distributed tree species in southern China. The results showed strong genetic differentiation among geographic populations, and the needle traits were significantly correlated with geography and environmental factors. Geographic isolation and environmental differences were identified as the main factors shaping the morphological traits and patterns of genetic variation. Conservation measures should focus on preserving populations with rare phenotypes.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Manimozhi Dhivya, Govindasamy Senthilraja, Nagendran Tharmalingam, Sankarasubramanian Harish, Kalaiselvan Saravanakumari, Theerthagiri Anand, Sundararajan Thiruvudainambi
Summary: The genetic diversity and population structure analysis of Magnaporthe grisea isolates infecting foxtail millet in Tamil Nadu, India revealed the presence of two major populations with different levels of ancestral admixture and three major clusters. These findings provide important insights for the development of blast-resistant foxtail millet cultivars.
Article
Forestry
Giorgia Carletti, Luigi Cattivelli, Lorenzo Vietto, Giuseppe Nervo
Summary: SalixL. (willow) is the largest genus in the Salicaceae family, playing a significant role in riparian habitats, wetlands, and shrub tundra. A set of six SSR markers has been successfully identified to distinguish S. alba from other Salix species, making them valuable genetic resources for forestry research and breeding programs.
JOURNAL OF FORESTRY RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Santiago Linorio Ferreyra Ramos, Gabriel Dequigiovanni, Maria Teresa Gomes Lopes, Ananda Virginia de Aguiar, Ricardo Lopes, Elizabeth Ann Veasey, Jeferson Luis Vasconcelos de Macedo, Alessandro Alves-Pereira, Therezinha de Jesus Pinto Fraxe, Marcos Silveira Wrege, Jose Nivaldo Garcia
Summary: The study revealed that the geographic distance in the Brazilian Amazon has an influence on the genetic structure of Euterpe precatoria, leading to the formation of several distinct clusters. There is genetic structure among populations, potentially divided into three groups. This information is crucial for guiding conservation and management strategies, as well as the formulation of public species management policies in the Amazon region.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Dan Xu, Wei Zhu, Youhao Wu, Shuo Wei, Gang Shu, Yaofu Tian, Xiaohui Du, Jigao Tang, Yulong Feng, Gemin Wu, Xue Han, Xiaoling Zhao
Summary: The genetic diversity, relationships, and population structures of Guizhou indigenous chicken breeds were analyzed in this study. The results showed higher genetic diversity in Guizhou chicken breeds compared to commercial chicken breeds. The population structure analysis reflected the breeding history and geographical distribution of Guizhou indigenous chickens. Selective sweep analysis revealed candidate genes associated with specific phenotypic characteristics and economic traits. The study provides important genetic information for further research, conservation, and breeding of Guizhou indigenous chickens.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Rahul Behl, S. K. Niranjan, Jyotsna Behl, Reena Arora, P. K. Singh, R. K. Vijh
Summary: Genetic characterization of grey type donkeys in Braj region of Uttar Pradesh, India revealed significant genetic distinctness compared to brown type donkeys from Ladakh, Spiti and Rayalseema regions, indicating their independent clustering on a dendrogram based on Goldstein's average square distances.
ANIMAL BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Jeremie Vandenplas, Herwin Eding, Mario P. L. Calus
Summary: Genetic groups, known as unknown or phantom parent groups, are often used in dairy cattle genetic evaluations to account for selection that cannot be explained by known genetic relationships. The Quaas and Pollak transformation can be applied to include genetic groups in the pedigree, reducing memory burden and computational costs compared to fitting genetic groups as covariates.
JOURNAL OF DAIRY SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Johannes Geibel, Christian Reimer, Torsten Pook, Steffen Weigend, Annett Weigend, Henner Simianer
Summary: This study proposes an alternative approach to mitigate SNP ascertainment bias by using information from a small set of sequenced individuals, without prior knowledge of the array design. Results showed that a reference panel with at least one individual per population can effectively correct ascertainment bias for estimates of genetic parameters.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Johannes Geibel, Christian Reimer, Steffen Weigend, Annett Weigend, Torsten Pook, Henner Simianer
Summary: The study found that chip-based SNP data lack globally rare variants compared to whole-genome re-sequencing data, and exhibit SNP ascertainment bias. Rare alleles decrease gradually during development, with a strong selection for common SNPs. Additionally, manual selection of SNPs may lead to an overestimation of expected heterozygosity.
Article
Physiology
Christin Habig, Annett Weigend, Ulrich Baulain, Stefanie Petow, Steffen Weigend
Summary: This study aimed to describe blood parameters associated with egg laying and bone metabolism in two contemporary purebred layer lines over the course of the pre-laying period, laying period, and daily egg laying cycle. Significant differences were observed between the two lines in terms of calcium, osteocalcin, 25(OH)D-3, and estradiol-17 beta levels, indicating variations in their ability to cope with calcium demands related to egg production.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Simon Jansen, Ulrich Baulain, Christin Habig, Faisal Ramzan, Jens Schauer, Armin Otto Schmitt, Armin Manfred Scholz, Ahmad Reza Sharifi, Annett Weigend, Steffen Weigend
Summary: This study identified potentially informative genes associated with bone strength and density in laying hens, with each gene having a relatively small effect but collectively playing a significant role in bone integrity. These genes are likely involved in critical metabolic pathways for bone stability.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Stefanie Altgilbers, Sabine Klein, Claudia Dierks, Steffen Weigend, Wilfried A. Kues
Summary: The chicken is one of the most common domestic species worldwide, with a majority originating from hybrid breeding programs. To preserve rare and endangered chicken breeds' genomic resources, innovative methods are necessary. A study conducted on blue layer hybrids successfully established a workflow for deriving and biobanking chicken primordial germ cells (PGCs), demonstrating the potential use of PGCs for the cryobanking of rare breeds or rare alleles.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Tanja Nolte, Simon Jansen, Steffen Weigend, Daniel Moerlein, Ingrid Halle, Henner Simianer, Ahmad Reza Sharifi
Summary: The study found that the quality of chicken eggs is influenced by genotype and diet composition. Feeding faba beans had an effect on yolk and shell color, Haugh units, and shell portion.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Claudia Dierks, Stefanie Altgilbers, Annett Weigend, Rudolf Preisinger, Steffen Weigend
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Johannes Geibel, Nora Paulina Praefke, Steffen Weigend, Henner Simianer, Christian Reimer
Summary: This study aimed to generate a precise SV callset from whole-genome short-read sequencing (WGS) data for three commercial chicken populations and to evaluate the linkage disequilibrium (LD) patterns between the called SVs and surrounding SNPs. The results indicated that LD between deletions (DELs) and SNPs was similar to LD between SNPs, while LD between other SVs and SNPs was significantly reduced. The main reason for the reduced LD was the presence of local minor allele frequency differences. Genotyping accuracy was lower for duplications (DUP), inversions (INV), and translocation breakpoints (BND) compared to SNPs and deletions (DELs). The presence of tag SNPs was slightly lower for DELs compared to WGS SNPs, but this difference disappeared when considering SNPs located on different chicken genotyping arrays.
Article
Physiology
Julia Mehlhorn, Anja Hoehne, Ulrich Baulain, Lars Schrader, Steffen Weigend, Stefanie Petow
Summary: This study analyzed the concentration of estradiol-17β in laying hens of different laying lines at different ages. The results showed that high-performing hens had higher estradiol-17β concentrations compared to low-performing hens. The highest concentration was observed at the 49th to 51st week of age, while the peak of laying intensity was observed at the 33rd to 35th week of age. Additionally, housing conditions influenced the estradiol-17β concentrations, with hens in cages showing higher concentrations compared to those in a floor housing system.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Shijie Lyu, Danny Arends, Mostafa K. Nassar, Annett Weigend, Steffen Weigend, Eryao Wang, Gudrun A. Brockmann
Summary: This study identified genomic regions associated with body size differences between Asian Game and Asian Bantam type chickens through a genome-wide association study and principal component analysis. The investigated Asian Game type chicken breeds were found to be genetically different from the Asian Bantam breeds. A region on chromosome 4 (17.3-21.3 Mb) was identified as potentially contributing to the phenotypic difference, although further validation of candidate genes is necessary.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Stefanie Altgilbers, Claudia Dierks, Sabine Klein, Steffen Weigend, Wilfried A. Kues
Summary: This study establishes a CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing protocol for modifying primordial germ cells (PGCs) derived from chickens with blue eggshell color. The efficiency of the CRISPR/Cas9 system in introducing large gene deletions in chicken PGCs is demonstrated. The presented workflow provides a cost-effective and rapid solution for screening the editing success in transfected PGCs.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Review
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Hafedh Ben Zaabza, Curtis P. Van Tassell, Jeremie Vandenplas, Paul VanRaden, Zengting Liu, Herwin Eding, Stephanie McKay, Katrine Haugaard, Martin H. Lidauer, Esa A. Mantysaari, Ismo Stranden
Summary: This paper provides an overview of different methods and computational approaches for calculating reliability, from the animal model era to the single-step genomic model era. It also discusses the challenges faced in reliability computation and presents efficient and accurate algorithms developed recently for large-scale genomic evaluations.
JOURNAL OF DAIRY SCIENCE
(2023)
Editorial Material
Genetics & Heredity
Michael N. N. Romanov, Johann Soelkner, Natalia A. A. Zinovieva, Klaus Wimmers, Steffen Weigend
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Dorcus Kholofelo Malomane, Steffen Weigend, Armin Otto Schmitt, Annett Weigend, Christian Reimer, Henner Simianer
Summary: Migration of a population from its founder population is expected to reduce genetic diversity and facilitate differentiation between populations, consistent with the theory of genetic isolation by distance. The genetic diversity of domesticated chicken populations is strongly correlated with their genetic distance to wild populations, and this relationship can predict the genetic diversity of domesticated populations. Genes with little genetic variation across populations, such as those associated with brain development, may be more conserved, while genes associated with processes like protein transport and metabolic processes may exhibit faster genetic diversity changes. Overall, these findings contribute to understanding the evolutionary patterns of different functional genomic regions in chicken.
GENETICS SELECTION EVOLUTION
(2021)