title: Genetic evidence from mitochondrial DNA corroborates the origin of Tibetan chickens.
abstract: Chicken is the most common poultry species and is important to human societies. Tibetan chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) is a breed endemic to China that is distributed mainly on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. However, its origin has not been well characterized. In the present study, we sequenced partial mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region of 239 and 283 samples from Tibetan and Sichuan indigenous chickens, respectively. Incorporating 1091 published sequences, we constructed the matrilineal genealogy of Tibetan chickens to further document their domestication history. We found that the genetic structure of the mtDNA haplotypes of Tibetan chickens are dominated by seven major haplogroups (A-G). In addition, phylogenetic and network analyses showed that Tibetan chickens are not distinguishable from the indigenous chickens in surrounding areas. Furthermore, some clades of Tibetan chickens may have originated from game fowls. In summary, our results collectively indicated that Tibetan chickens may have diverged from indigenous chickens in the adjacent regions and hybridized with various chickens.
authors.affiliation: Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China.
authors.forename: Long
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China.
authors.forename: Pu
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Life Science College, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, China.
authors.forename: Qingqing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China.
authors.forename: Uma
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Gaur
authors.affiliation: Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China.
authors.forename: Yiping
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China.
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoling
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China.
authors.forename: Huadong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.affiliation: Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China.
authors.forename: Yaodong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: College of Food Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, China.
authors.forename: Aiping
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China.
authors.forename: Diyan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001499:Bayes Theorem; D005075:Biological Evolution; D002645:Chickens / Q000235:genetics*; D002875:Chromosomes; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005843:Geography; D006239:Haplotypes; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D009711:Nucleotides / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D011200:Poultry / Q000235:genetics; D018609:Tibet
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D009711:Nucleotides