title: Limited number of patrilines in horse domestication.
abstract: Genetic studies using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) have identified extensive matrilinear diversity among domestic horses. Here, we show that this high degree of polymorphism is not matched by a corresponding patrilinear diversity of the male-specific Y chromosome. In fact, a screening for single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 14.3 kb of noncoding Y chromosome sequence among 52 male horses of 15 different breeds did not identify a single segregation site. These observations are consistent with a strong sex-bias in the domestication process, with few stallions contributing genetically to the domestic horse.
authors.affiliation: Department of Evolutionary Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, SE-752 36 Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Gabriella
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lindgren
authors.forename: Niclas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Backström
authors.forename: June
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Swinburne
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hellborg
authors.forename: Annika
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Einarsson
authors.forename: Kaj
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sandberg
authors.forename: Gus
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cothran
authors.forename: Carles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vilà
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Binns
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ellegren
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005819:Genetic Markers; D006736:Horses / Q000235:genetics*; D014998:Y Chromosome
chemical_list: D005819:Genetic Markers