The mosaic genome of indigenous African cattle as a unique genetic resource for African pastoralism

Kim, Kwondo; Kwon, Taehyung; Dessie, Tadelle; Yoo, Dong Ahn; Mwai, Okeyo Ally; Jang, Jisung; Sung, Samsun; Lee, Saet Byeol; Salim, Bashir; Jung, Jaehoon; Jeong, Heesu; Tarekegn, Getinet Mekuriaw; Tijjani, Abdulfatai; Lim, Dajeong; Cho, Seoae; Oh, Sung Jong; Lee, Hak Kyo; Kim, Jaemin; Jeong, Choongwon; Kemp, Stephen; Hanotte, Olivier; Kim, Heebal

Abstract

© 2020, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature America, Inc. Cattle pastoralism plays a central role in human livelihood in Africa. However, the genetic history of its success remains unknown. Here, through whole-genome sequence analysis of 172 indigenous African cattle from 16 breeds representative of the main cattle groups, we identify a major taurine × indicine cattle admixture event dated to circa 750–1,050 yr ago, which has shaped the genome of today’s cattle in the Horn of Africa. We identify 16 loci linked to African environmental adaptations across crossbred animals showing an excess of taurine or indicine ancestry. These include immune-, heat-tolerance- and reproduction-related genes. Moreover, we identify one highly divergent locus in African taurine cattle, which is putatively linked to trypanotolerance and present in crossbred cattle living in trypanosomosis-infested areas. Our findings indicate that a combination of past taurine and recent indicine admixture-derived genetic resources is at the root of the present success of African pastoralism.

Citation

Kim, K., Kwon, T., Dessie, T., Yoo, D. A., Mwai, O. A., Jang, J., …Kim, H. (2020). The mosaic genome of indigenous African cattle as a unique genetic resource for African pastoralism. Nature Genetics, 52(10), 1099-1110. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-020-0694-2

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 18, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Sep 28, 2020
• Publication Date: Oct 1, 2020
• Deposit Date: Oct 6, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 29, 2021
• Journal: Nature Genetics
• Print ISSN: 1061-4036
• Electronic ISSN: 1546-1718
• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 52
• Issue: 10
• Pages: 1099-1110
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-020-0694-2
• Keywords: Genetics
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/4939074
• Publisher URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-020-0694-2