engleski

Genetic characterization of Istrian Cattle using microsatellite markers

Istrian cattle breed is one of the three Croatian autochthonous cattle breeds, which was on the edge of survival by the end of the twentieth century. The genetic structure of 159 animals of Istrian cattle was estimated using nine microsatellites. The number of alleles per microsatellite locus was in the range from five to fourteen, with a relatively high average number of alleles of 9.1. The mean observed heterozygosity was 0.648, while the mean expected heterozygosity was 0.729. These parameters indicate that Istrian cattle preserved a considerable amount of genetic variability, although a heterozygote deficit of 11.5% was established. This deficit is mainly the result of inbreeding and/or population subdivision. In this breed, no serious demographic bottleneck has occurred. Factorial correspondence showed genetic homogeneity in the population of Istrian cattle. Our results suggest usefulness of molecular information for preservation of the genetic variability of Istrian cattle.

Istrian cattle; microsatellite markers; genetic variability

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