Genetic differentiation between Segugio dell’Appennino and Segugio Maremmano dog breeds assessed by microsatellite markers

• Main Authors: Vincenzo La Manna, Emiliano Lasagna, Simone Ceccobelli, Piera Di Lorenzo, Attilio M. De Cosmo, George Attard, Francesca M. Sarti, Francesco Panella, Carlo Renieri
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2015-07-01
• Series: Italian Journal of Animal Science
• Subjects: Italian dog breeds; STR markers; Genetic diversity; Segugio
• Online Access: http://www.aspajournal.it/index.php/ijas/article/view/3809
• ISSN: 1594-4077; 1828-051X

The domestic dog (<em>Canis Familiaris</em>) was the first species to be tamed and bred to occupy a variety of functions. The <em>Segugio dell’Appennino</em> and <em>Segugio Maremmano</em> are two Italian breeds used extensively as hunting dogs. Microsatellites and other genetic markers are useful tools in evaluating the within and between breed genetic variation. The aim of this study was to investigate genetic differentiation among the two breeds through the analysis of 21 microsatellite markers. The two populations share the same geographical regions but have been over time selected on different parameters to achieve specific functions. All the analysed microsatellite markers were polymorphic and the average number of alleles per locus was 8.19. The mean <em>F</em>_IT index (0.051; P&lt;0.05) highlights that at some point in time, the normal gene flow among the animals was disrupted, giving rise to a heterozygote deficiency in both breeds, and this is confirmed by the mean <em>F</em>_ST fixation index (0.010; P&lt;0.05) clearly indicating an absence of a significant genetic differentiation between the two breeds. The mean <em>F</em>_IS value was significantly different from zero (0.042) (P&lt;0.05) reconfirming the presence of a lack of heterozygosity in the studied samples. The values of observed and expected heterozygosity were similar in the two breeds. AMOVA, PCA and STRUCTURE analysis, all emphasise the lack of significant differences among the two breeds in terms of genetic differentiation. The presence of a population substructure is probably due to a genetic introgression from different Segugio breeds, that can be confirmed with further studies.