title: Multilocus genotypic data reveal high genetic diversity and low population genetic structure of Iranian indigenous sheep.
abstract: Iranian livestock diversity is still largely unexplored, in spite of the interest in the populations historically reared in this country located near the Fertile Crescent, a major livestock domestication centre. In this investigation, the genetic diversity and differentiation of 10 Iranian indigenous fat-tailed sheep breeds were investigated using 18 microsatellite markers. Iranian breeds were found to host a high level of diversity. This conclusion is substantiated by the large number of alleles observed across loci (average 13.83, range 7-22) and by the high within-breed expected heterozygosity (average 0.75, range 0.72-0.76). Iranian sheep have a low level of genetic differentiation, as indicated by the analysis of molecular variance, which allocated a very small proportion (1.67%) of total variation to the between-population component, and by the small fixation index (FST  = 0.02). Both Bayesian clustering and principal coordinates analysis revealed the absence of a detectable genetic structure. Also, no isolation by distance was observed through comparison of genetic and geographical distances. In spite of high within-breed variation, signatures of inbreeding were detected by the FIS indices, which were positive in all and statistically significant in three breeds. Possible factors explaining the patterns observed, such as considerable gene flow and inbreeding probably due to anthropogenic activities in the light of population management and conservation programmes, are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute of Iran (ABRII)-North Branch, Rasht, 41635-4115, Iran.
authors.forename: S M F
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Vahidi
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, 2202, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: M O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Faruque
authors.affiliation: School of Biology and Center of Excellence in Phylogeny of Living Organisms, University of Tehran, Tehran, 14155-6455, Iran.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Falahati Anbaran
authors.affiliation: Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute of Iran (ABRII)-North Branch, Rasht, 41635-4115, Iran.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Afraz
authors.affiliation: Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute of Iran (ABRII)-North Branch, Rasht, 41635-4115, Iran.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Mousavi
authors.affiliation: Animal Production and Health Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 00153, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Boettcher
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Geographic Information Systems, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, 1015, Switzerland.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Joost
authors.affiliation: CAAS-ILRI Joint Laboratory on Livestock and Forage Genetic Resources, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Beijing, 100193, China.
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Zootecnica and Biodiversity and Ancient DNA - BioDNA - Research Centre, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Piacenza, 29122, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Colli
authors.affiliation: Animal Production and Health Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna International Centre, PO Box 100, A-1400, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Periasamy
authors.affiliation: Italian Breeder Association -AIA, Rome, 00161, Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Negrini
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Zootecnica and Biodiversity and Ancient DNA - BioDNA - Research Centre, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Piacenza, 29122, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ajmone-Marsan
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D000818:Animals; D001499:Bayes Theorem; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005828:Genetics, Population; D005838:Genotype; D006579:Heterozygote; D007178:Inbreeding; D007492:Iran; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D034561:Sheep, Domestic / Q000235:genetics*
keywords: Iranian sheep; gene flow; genetic differentiation; microsatellite marker