RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Origin and phylogenetic status of the local Ashanti Dwarf pig (ADP) of Ghana based on evidence from mtDNA analysis, MC1R, and Y-chromosome haplotypes
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 066209
DO 10.1101/066209
A1 R. Osei-Amponsah
A1 B.M. Skinner
A1 O.D Adjei
A1 J Bauer
A1 G Larson
A1 N.A Affara
A1 C.A Sargent
YR 2016
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2016/07/27/066209.abstract
AB The Ashanti Dwarf Pig (ADP) of Ghana is an endangered pig breed with hardy and disease resistant traits. Characterisation of animal genetic resources provides relevant data for their conservation and sustainable use for food security and economic development. We investigated the origin and phylogenetic status of the local ADP of Ghana and their crosses with modern commercial breeds based on mtDNA, MC1R and Y-chromosome sequence polymorphisms, as well as genome-wide SNP genotyping.The study involved 164 local pigs sampled from the three agro-ecological zones of Ghana. Analyses of the mitochondrial D-loop region and Y-chromosome sequences revealed both European and Asian genetic signatures, with differences between the geographical zones. Black coat colour is the most predominant within the breed, with dominant black MC1R alleles of both Asian and European origin contributing. European alleles for spotting are present at a low frequency in the sample set, and may account for the occurrence of spotted piglets in some APD litters. PCA analysis of SNP data revealed a strong location and breed effect on clustering of local Ghanaian pigs. On a global level, Ghanaian local pigs cluster closely with European pigs of commercial origin, such as the Large White.The presence of both European and Asian contributions, with differences between geographical zones probably reflects trading and colonial influences.. Understanding the effects of admixture on important adaptive and economic traits of the ADP and other local breeds in Africa is critical for developing sustainable conservation programmes to prevent the decline of these genetic resources.