Morphological and Genetic Characteristics of Yakut Horse Breeds

• Published in: Russian agricultural sciences 2020, Vol.46 (5), p.519-524
• Main Authors: Filippova, N. P., Stepanov, N. P., Dodokhov, V. V., Gadgiev, A. M., Marzanov, N. S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agriculture; Alleles; Animal Husbandry; Animal populations; Animals; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Breeding methods; Environmental conditions; Farming; Farms; Genetic diversity; Genetic screening; Heterozygosity; Horses; Life Sciences; Loci; Meat; Meat production; Microsatellites; Mutation; Natural environment; Physical characteristics; Plant Biochemistry; Population genetics; Populations; Selective breeding
• ISSN: 1068-3674; 1934-8037
• DOI: 10.3103/S1068367420050055

Farming horses of indigenous breeds adapted to extreme natural environments is the only effective way to use the vast areas of lands unsuitable for farming animals of the other species. Horse farming is a traditional industry in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) that remains a substantial potential for meat production improvement. Under extreme environmental conditions, genetic variations caused by mutations and evolution tend to occur within the horse populations and breeds. Genetic testing can provide opportunities to monitor the ongoing processes within both the populations and the breeds, contributing to the subsequent selective breeding practice among the stud-farm horses in Yakutia. Analyses of 15 polymorphic microsatllite loci revealed the genetic breed-specific profiles for the Yakut, Megezhek, and Prilensk horse breeds. The alleles identified in the Megezhek horses were not found in the animals of the other two breeds. Allele LEX3 G at locus LEX3 was recorded in the Yakut and Megezhek horses, which could be previously found only in the Arabian horses. The AHT4 F allele previously found only in the Akhal-Teke horses was identified in the Megezhek horses. The effective number of alleles per microsatellite locus was larger in the Megezhek horses, with a mean of 4.327 ± 0.37. The actual heterozygosity values for the horses of all the breeds were almost the same, ranging from 0.636 to 0.651. The coefficient of genetic similarity at a microsatellite locus was highest (0.872) in the Megezhek and Yakut breeds. Thus, the coefficients of genetic similarities between both the Prilensk and Megezhek breeds and the Prilensk and Yakut breeds comprised 0.831 and 0.780, respectively.