title: Complete Mitochondrial Genome Sequences of Chinese Indigenous Sheep with Different Tail Types and an Analysis of Phylogenetic Evolution in Domestic Sheep.
abstract: China has a long history of sheep (Ovis aries [O. aries]) breeding and an abundance of sheep genetic resources. Knowledge of the complete O. aries mitogenome should facilitate the study of the evolutionary history of the species. Therefore, the complete mitogenome of O. aries was sequenced and annotated. In order to characterize the mitogenomes of 3 Chinese sheep breeds (Altay sheep [AL], Shandong large-tailed sheep [SD], and small-tailed Hulun Buir sheep [sHL]), 19 sets of primers were employed to amplify contiguous, overlapping segments of the complete mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence of each breed. The sizes of the complete mitochondrial genomes of the sHL, AL, and SD breeds were 16,617 bp, 16,613 bp, and 16,613 bp, respectively. The mitochondrial genomes were deposited in the GenBank database with accession numbers KP702285 (AL sheep), KP981378 (SD sheep), and KP981380 (sHL sheep) respectively. The organization of the 3 analyzed sheep mitochondrial genomes was similar, with each consisting of 22 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes (12S rRNA and 16S rRNA), 13 protein-coding genes, and 1 control region (D-loop). The NADH dehydrogenase subunit 6 (ND6) and 8 tRNA genes were encoded on the light strand, whereas the rest of the mitochondrial genes were encoded on the heavy strand. The nucleotide skewness of the coding strands of the 3 analyzed mitogenomes was biased toward A and T. We constructed a phylogenetic tree using the complete mitogenomes of each type of sheep to allow us to understand the genetic relationships between Chinese breeds of O. aries and those developed and utilized in other countries. Our findings provide important information regarding the O. aries mitogenome and the evolutionary history of O. aries inside and outside China. In addition, our results provide a foundation for further exploration of the taxonomic status of O. aries.
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730070, China.|Institute of Animal Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China.
authors.forename: Hongying
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China.
authors.forename: Fuping
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China.
authors.forename: Caiye
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730020, China.
authors.forename: Fadi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Institute of Grass Ecology Research, Hulunbuir College, Hulunbuir 021008, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China.
authors.forename: Jidong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China.
authors.forename: Caihong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730070, China.|Institute of Animal Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China.
authors.forename: Lixin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Du
keywords: Mitochondrial Control Region; Mitochondrial DNA; Mitogenome; Phylogenetic; Sheep