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The molecular and population genetic evidence of the phylogenetic status of the Tibetan sheep (Ovis aries) is not well understood, and little is known about this species’ genetic diversity. This knowledge gap is partly due to the difficulty of sample collection. This is the first work to address this question. Here, the genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationship of 636 individual Tibetan sheep from fifteen populations were assessed using 642 complete sequences of the mitochondrial DNA D-loop. Samples were collected from the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau area in China, and reference data were obtained from the six reference breed sequences available in GenBank. The length of the sequences varied considerably, between 1031 and 1259 bp. The haplotype diversity and nucleotide diversity were 0.992±0.010 and 0.019±0.001, respectively. The average number of nucleotide differences was 19.635. The mean nucleotide composition of the 350 haplotypes was 32.961% A, 29.708% T, 22.892% C, 14.439% G, 62.669% A+T, and 37.331% G+C. Phylogenetic analysis showed that all four previously defined haplogroups (A, B, C, and D) were found in the 636 individuals of the fifteen Tibetan sheep populations but that only the D haplogroup was found in Linzhou sheep. Further, the clustering analysis divided the fifteen Tibetan sheep populations into at least two clusters. The estimation of the demographic parameters from the mismatch analyses showed that haplogroups A, B, and C had at least one demographic expansion in Tibetan sheep. These results contribute to the knowledge of Tibetan sheep populations and will help inform future conservation programs about the Tibetan sheep native to the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wild yak is a special breed in China and it is regarded as an important genetic resource for sustainably developing the animal husbandry in Tibetan area and enriching region’s biodiversity. The complete mitochondrial genome of wild yak (16,322 bp in length) displayed 37 typical animal mitochondrial genes and A + T-rich (61.01%), with an overall G + C content of only 38.99%. It contained a non-coding control region (D-loop), 13 protein-coding genes, two rRNA genes, and 22 tRNA genes. Most of the genes have ATG initiation codons, whereasND2, ND3, andND5genes start with ATA and were encoded on H-strand. The gene order of wild yak mitogenome is identical to that observed in most other vertebrates. The complete mitochondrial genome sequence of wild yak reported here could provide valuable information for developing genetic markers and phylogenetic analysis in yak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complete mitochondrial genome ofHequ horsewas determined in this study. The mitogenome is 16 656 bp in length and contains 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, and a D-loop region. The overall base composition of the H-strand is 32.20% for A, 28.55% for C, 13.38% for G and 25.86% for T. Tree constructed using MEGA 6 with Maximum-likelihood (ML) methods demonstrated thatHequ horsewas clustered in subfamilyEquidae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PaLi yak is a very important local breed in China; as a year-round grazing animal, it plays a very important role for the economic and native herdsmen. The PaLi yak complete mitochondrial DNA is sequenced in this study, the total length is 16,324 bp, containing 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes and a non-coding control region (D-loop region). The order and composition are similar to most of the other vertebrates. The base contents are: 33.72% A, 25.80% C, 13.21% G and 27.27% T; A + T (60.99%) was higher than G + C (39.01%). The phylogenetic relationships were analyzed using the complete mitogenome sequence, results showed that the genetic relationship between yak and cattle is distinct. These information provides useful data for further study on protection of genetic resources and the taxonomy of Bovinae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Qinghai Plateau yakBos grunniens(Cetartiodactyla: Bovidae) is an important primitive local breed in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and adjacent regions. In this study, its complete mitochondrial genome sequence has been assembled and characterized from high-throughput Illumina sequencing data. This genome is 16 322 bp in length, and contains 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, two rRNA genes, and a non-coding D-loop or control region. The nucleotide composition is asymmetric (33.73% A, 25.79% C, 13.19% G, and 27.29% T) with an overall A + T content of 61.02%. The gene arrangement and the composition are similar to most other vertebrates. These data would contribute to our better understanding its population genetics and evolutionary history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generally speaking, the hornless trait is also known as polled. Although thePOLLlocus could be assigned to a 1.36-Mb interval in the centromeric region of BTA1 (Georges et al., 1993; Drögemüller et al., 2005)), and (Liu et al., 2014) reported a 147-kb segment that included three protein-coding genes was the most likely location of the POLL mutation in domestic yaks, the underlying genetic basis for the polled trait is still unknown. In this work, the complete mitochondrial genome sequence of polled yak was determined for the first time. The total length of the mitogenome is 16,324 bp long, with the base composition of 33.72% A, 27.25% T, 25.83% C, and 13.20% G. It contained 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes and 1 non-coding region (D-loop region). The gene order of polled yak mitogenome is identical to that observed in most other vertebrates. The complete mitogenome sequence information of polled yak will provide useful data for further studies on protection of genetic resources and phylogenetic relationships withinBos grunniens. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Datong yak is a famous artificially cultivated breed in China. In the present work, we report the complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Datong yak for the first time. The total length of the mitogenome is 16,323 bp long, containing 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, two rRNA genes and one non-coding region (D-loop region). The gene order of Datong yak mitogenome is identical to that observed in most other vertebrates. The overall base composition is 33.71% A, 25.8.0% C, 13.21% G and 27.27% T, with an A + T content of 60.98%. The complete mitogenome sequence information of Datong yak can provide useful data for further studies on molecular breeding and taxonomic status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]