Data from: Scans for signatures of selection in Russian cattle breed genomes reveal new candidate genes for environmental adaptation and acclimation

Domestication and selective breeding has resulted in over 1000 extant cattle breeds. Many of these breeds do not excel in important traits but are adapted to local environments. These adaptations are a valuable source of genetic material for efforts to improve commercial breeds. As a step toward this goal we identified candidate regions to be under selection in genomes of nine Russian native cattle breeds adapted to survive in harsh climates. After comparing our data to other breeds of European and Asian origins we found known and novel candidate genes that could potentially be related to domestication, economically important traits and environmental adaptations in cattle. The Russian cattle breed genomes contained regions under putative selection with genes that may be related for adaptations to harsh environments (e.g., AQP5, RAD50, and RETREG1). We found genomic signatures of selective sweeps near key genes related to economically important traits, such as the milk production (e.g., DGAT1, ABCG2), growth (e.g., XKR4), and reproduction (e.g., CSF2). Our data point to candidate genes which should be included in future studies attempting to identify genes to improve the extant breeds and facilitate generation of commercial breeds that fit better into the environments of Russia and other countries with similar climates.

驯化与选择性育种已造就了超过1000个现存家牛品种。其中多数品种虽未在关键经济性状上表现优异，却已适应了本土环境。这类适应性特征是改良商业牛品种的宝贵遗传资源。为推进这一改良目标，本研究对9个适应极端严酷气候的俄罗斯本土家牛品种的基因组进行分析，鉴定出受选择的候选区域。通过将本研究数据与欧洲、亚洲起源的其他牛品种数据进行比对，我们鉴定出一批已知及全新的候选基因，这些基因可能与家牛的驯化过程、经济重要性状及环境适应性相关。俄罗斯本土家牛的基因组中，存在受潜在选择的区域，其关联基因可能与极端环境适应性相关（例如AQP5、RAD50及RETREG1）。我们在与关键经济性状相关的核心基因附近发现了选择性清除的基因组特征，这些性状涵盖产奶性状（例如DGAT1、ABCG2）、生长性状（例如XKR4）及繁殖性状（例如CSF2）。本研究鉴定出的候选基因可为未来相关研究提供参考：未来相关研究可通过靶向这些基因，改良现存家牛品种，并培育出更适配俄罗斯及其他气候相似国家环境的商业牛品种。