Male-mediated introgression of Bos indicus genes into Argentine and Bolivian Creole cattle breeds.
The geographic distribution and frequency of Bos taurus and Bos indicus Y chromosome haplotypes amongst Argentine and Bolivian Creole cattle breeds were studied, using cytogenetic and molecular genetic techniques. A complete correspondence between Y chromosome morphology and the haplotype of the Y-linked microsatellite marker INRA 124 was found in all males examined. The taurine and indicine haplotypes were detected in 85.7 and 14.3% of the males studied, respectively, although these frequencies varied amongst the different breeds examined. The geographic distribution of this polymorphism suggests a pattern of zebu introgression in South America. The highest frequencies of the Zebu Y-chromosome are found in Brazilian populations (43-90%), in the eastern part of the continent, while it is absent in the southernmost breeds from Uruguay and Argentina. Bolivian breeds, at the centre of the continent, exhibit intermediate values (17-41%). This east/west and north/south gradient of male Zebu introgression could be explained by historical events and environmental factors.
Giovambattista
G
G
Centro de Investigaciones en Genética Básica y Aplicada (CIGEBA), Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina.
Ripoli
M V
MV
De Luca
J C
JC
Mirol
P M
PM
Lirón
J P
JP
Dulout
F N
FN
D000818:Animals; D001118:Argentina; D001838:Bolivia; D002417:Cattle / Q000235:genetics*; D005843:Geography; D006239:Haplotypes; D006824:Hybridization, Genetic; D008297:Male; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D011156:Population Density; D013020:South America; D014998:Y Chromosome