Genetic differentiation among istrian pramenka, bovška sheep and jezersko-solčavska sheep

Abstract

We studied genetic relationship among three Slovenian autochthonous sheep breeds using microsatellite loci: MAF214, OarCP49, OarFCB11, MAF65, McM42, TGLA53, McM527 and OarAE119. Genotyping of 95 Istrian pramenka (ISP), 272 Bovška sheep (B) and 42 Jezersko-Solčavska sheep (JS) revealed in basically the same alleles in all the breeds. Furthermore, 12 alleles were frequent (> 10 %) in each of the breeds studied. However, we also detected 16 breed-specific alleles, 8 in ISP, 8 in B and 3 in JS. The correspondence analysis and assignment of individual genotypes to populations showed that the majority of ISP individuals formed one separate group, whereas groups of B and JS individuals were not clearly separated, probably due to many highly similar genotypes in both breeds. Estimation of genetic distances (pairwise F_ST values) confirmed closer relatedness of B and JS (F_ST = 0.044) than of ISP and B (F_ST = 0.064) or ISP and JS (F_ST = 0.075). About 6 % of the total variation which can be assigned to genetic differences among breeds (F_ST value) suggested that differences among breeds are not very large. We think that these results are in agreement with the hypothesis about the common origin of BS and JS in native primitive white sheep and origin of ISP in slightly distant “Zackel” sheep. However, to clarify the origin of Slovenian sheep breeds, additional studies of breeds which were probably involved in the origin of JS (Bergamasca and Padua sheep) and other “Pramenka” breeds should be performed.