Genome-wide SNP analysis clearly distinguished the Belarusian Red cattle from other European cattle breeds.

Local breeds can serve as an important source of genetic variability in domestic animal species. This study aimed to assess the genetic diversity and population structure of Belarusian Red cattle and their differentiation from other European cattle populations based on genome-wide SNP genotypes. Twenty pedigree-recorded non-closely related cows of Belarusian Red cattle were genotyped using the Illumina BovineHD BeadChip. Genotypes of 22 other European cattle breeds were included in the study for comparison. A total of 28 562 SNPs passed through the quality control checks and were selected for analysis. The Belarusian Red cattle displayed a moderate level of genetic variability (U HE  = 0.341, HO  = 0.368), and the highest heterozygote excess (U FIS  = -0.066), among the studied breeds; this reflects the contribution of multiple breeds to their formation. The principal component analysis, FST -based Neighbor-Net tree and Admixture clustering, clearly distinguished the Belarusian Red cattle from the other European cattle breeds. Moreover, the presence of ancestral genomic components of Danish Red and Brown Swiss breeds were clearly visible, which agrees with the breed's history and its recent development. Our study highlights the importance of maintaining the specific genomic components, which makes a significant contribution to the global genetic diversity in the modern population of Belarusian Red cattle, allowing us to consider them a valuable national genetic resource. Our research results will be useful for the development of conservation programs for this local cattle breed.

Genome-wide association studies of cryostability of semen in roosters.

Conservation of genetic resources by semen cryopreservation is essential for biodiversity conservation and storage of rare poultry breeds. Despite the widespread use of this method not all individuals presentia similar capacity for semen to be used after defrosting. The aim of the current study was to identify SNP markers and linked candidate genes potentially associated with rooster (Gallus gallus) sperm motility after cryopreservation. Genome-wide association studies were performed using 33 roosters from four breeds genotyped using Illumina Chicken 60K SNP BeadChip Calculations were performed using PLINK and EMMAX software. Significant SNP associations rs15557972 (p⟨1.36E-07) on chromosome 10 in the LOXL1 gene and rs15751385 (p⟨6.10E-06) on chromosome 6 in the intron of the ENSGALG00000052127 gene were identified. These findings associated with sperm motility SNPs will help to develop strategies for the selection of valuable individuals and the efficient conservation of the gene pool.