Identification of Genetic Relationships and Group Structure Analysis of Yanqi Horses

作者：Yaru Wang, Chi Tang, Pengfei Xue, Na Yang, Xiaoyuan Sun, Khizat Serik, Tolegen Assanbayer, Малика Шамекова, Zhassulan Kozhanov, Загипа Сапахова, Jurakulov Kobil Khurramovich, Xiaoling Zhou, Iskhan Kairat, Gemingguli Muhatai · 发表于：Genes · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.3390/genes16030294 · 被引用次数：4 · 研究领域：Genetic diversity and population structure、Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestock、Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies

Background/Objectives: The Yanqi horse is a distinguished local breed in China, known for its robust physique and strong adaptability. However, due to insufficient breeding populations and a loosely structured breeding system, the number of Yanqi horses has been declining annually. To protect its genetic resources and develop scientific breeding strategies, this study aimed to analyze the genetic diversity, parentage relationships, and genetic structure of the Yanqi horse conservation population using microsatellite markers. Materials and Methods: A total of 117 Yanqi horses were selected for genotyping analysis using 16 microsatellite markers. Genetic diversity parameters (e.g., allele number, heterozygosity, F-statistics) were calculated using GeneAIEX (v.6.503) and Fstat software (v.2.9.4). Parentage analysis was conducted using Cervus software. Bayesian clustering analysis was performed using STRUCTURE software (v.2.3.4), and a phylogenetic tree was constructed based on Nei’s genetic distance to reveal the population genetic structure. Results: A total of 191 alleles were detected, with an average allele number of 11.969, observed heterozygosity of 0.481, and expected heterozygosity of 0.787. Parentage testing showed a cumulative exclusion probability (CEP) of 0.9652999 when one parent’s genotype was known and 0.9996999 when both parents’ genotypes were known, achieving an accuracy of 99%. Genetic differentiation analysis revealed moderate genetic divergence among populat...