Selection in Australian Thoroughbred horses acts on a locus associated with early two-year old speed.

ABSTRACT: Thoroughbred horse racing is a global sport with major hubs in Europe, North America, Australasia and Japan. Regional preferences for certain traits have resulted in phenotypic variation that may result from adaptation to the local racing ecosystem. Here, we test the hypothesis that genes selected for regional phenotypic variation may be identified by analysis of selection signatures in pan-genomic SNP genotype data. Comparing Australian to non-Australian Thoroughbred horses (n = 99), the most highly differentiated loci in a composite selection signals (CSS) analysis were on ECA6 (34.75-34.85 Mb), ECA14 (33.2-33.52 Mb and 35.52-36.94 Mb) and ECA16 (24.28-26.52 Mb) in regions containing candidate genes for exercise adaptations including cardiac function (ARHGAP26, HBEGF, SRA1), synapse deve

SUBMITTER: Han H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7015314 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature