African Suid Genomes Provide Insights into the Local Adaptation to Diverse African Environments.

African wild suids consist of several endemic species that represent ancient members of the family Suidae and have colonized diverse habitats on the African continent. However, limited genomic resources for African wild suids hinder our understanding of their evolution and genetic diversity. In this study, we assembled high-quality genomes of a common warthog (Phacochoerus africanus), a red river hog (Potamochoerus porcus), as well as an East Asian Diannan small-ear pig (Sus scrofa). Phylogenetic analysis showed that common warthog and red river hog diverged from their common ancestor around the Miocene/Pliocene boundary, putatively predating their entry into Africa. We detected species-specific selective signals associated with sensory perception and interferon signaling pathways in common warthog and red river hog, respectively, which contributed to their local adaptation to savannah and tropical rainforest environments, respectively. The structural variation and evolving signals in genes involved in T-cell immunity, viral infection, and lymphoid development were identified in their ancestral lineage. Our results provide new insights into the evolutionary histories and divergent genetic adaptations of African suids.

Analysis of the genetic variation in mitochondrial DNA, Y-chromosome sequences, and MC1R sheds light on the ancestry of Nigerian indigenous pigs.

BACKGROUND: The history of pig populations in Africa remains controversial due to insufficient evidence from archaeological and genetic data. Previously, a Western ancestry for West African pigs was reported based on loci that are involved in the determination of coat color. We investigated the genetic diversity of Nigerian indigenous pigs (NIP) by simultaneously analyzing variation in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), Y-chromosome sequence and the melanocortin receptor 1 (MC1R) gene. RESULTS: Median-joining network analysis of mtDNA D-loop sequences from 201 NIP and previously characterized loci clustered NIP with populations from the West (Europe/North Africa) and East/Southeast Asia. Analysis of partial sequences of the Y-chromosome in 57 Nigerian boars clustered NIP into lineage HY1. Finally, analysis of MC1R in 90 NIP resulted in seven haplotypes, among which the European wild boar haplotype was carried by one individual and the European dominant black by most of the other individuals (93%). The five remaining unique haplotypes differed by a single synonymous substitution from European wild type, European dominant black and Asian dominant black haplotypes. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate a European and East/Southeast Asian ancestry for NIP. Analyses of MC1R provide further evidence. Additional genetic analyses and archaeological studies may provide further insights into the history of African pig breeds. Our findings provide a valuable resource for future studies on whole-genome analyses of African pigs.

Target capture sequencing for the first Nigerian genotype I ASFV genome.

African swine fever (ASF) is a contagious viral disease that affects domestic pigs and wild boars, causing significant economic losses globally. After the first Nigerian outbreak in 1997, there have been frequent reports of ASF in pig-producing regions in the country. To facilitate control, it is important to understand the genotype and phylogenetic relationship of ASF viruses (ASFVs). Recent genetic analysis of Nigerian ASFV isolates has revealed the presence of both genotypes I and II; this is based on analysis of a few selected genes. Phylogenetic analysis of ASFV whole genomes highlights virus origins and evolution in greater depth. However, there is currently no information on the ASFV genome from Nigerian isolates. Two ASFV-positive samples were detected during a random survey of 150 Nigerian indigenous pig samples collected in 2016. We assembled near-complete genomes of the two ASFV-positive samples using in-solution hybrid capture sequencing. The genome-wide phylogenetic tree assigned these two genomes into p72 genotype I, particularly close to the virulent Benin 97/1 strain. The two ASFVs share 99.94 and 99.92 % genomic sequence identity to Benin97/1. This provides insight into the origin and relationship of ASFV strains from Nigeria and Italy. The study reports for the first time the determination of near-complete genomes of ASFV using in-solution hybrid capture sequencing, which represents an important advance in understanding the global evolutionary landscape of ASFVs.