Genetic and phylogenetic analysis of six Iranian sheep breeds based on mtDNA HVR1 sequences

Maintaining genetic diversity in native sheep breeds of Iran is very important for breeding goals and increasing their production. Native sheep breeds are national treasure and conservation of these populations is necessary from genetic diversity aspects. Investigation of mtDNA gives useful information about genetic diversity in native populations. In order to investigate the genetic structure and phylogenetic relationships, HVR1 region's of mtDNA in six indigenous sheep populations compared with other foreign sheep in NCBI.
30 blood samples Includes Ghezel, Mehraban, Lac, Bahmaei, Karakul and Kermani breeds were collected from different parts of the country. All of samples of DNA were extracted by salting out, and as a template to use for replicating and sequencing of HVR1, and then the quality and quantity of extracted DNA using 2% agarose gel electrophoresis, spectrophotometry, respectively were detected. PCR was performed using specific primers. HVR1 region was amplified with specific primers and after purification was sequenced. These sequences with 19 other similar sequences of different sheep breeds obtained from GenBank of NCBI were compared and the phylogenic tree was drawn.
By studying HVR1 region of mtDNA Were detected 39 variable site and 17 haplotypes. Analysis of molecular variance showed that only 7% of the variation observed among the six populations and 93% of genetic variation was distributed within populations. AMOVA analysis showed That Genetic disorder among the population studied According to the fixation index was not significant at the 5% and this value was calculated 0.071.
Fst value indicated there were low toward medium genetic differentiation among these populations. The results of phylogeny showed that all of sheeps except Mehraban breed were classified in a cluster. Five breeds Includes Karakul, Kermani, Lac, Ghezel, and Bahmaei were categorized with other breeds of China, Turkey, Indonesia, Tajikistan, India and Kazakhstan Because of their genetic similarity due to the geographical Vicinity of them in biological locations. Mehraban sheep breed and one of Chinese sheep breeds (DQ903266.1) were grouped together but in other branches close to other sheep breeds in this study. This grouping could be due to genetic relationship of these two breeds.