Unraveling the Genetic Population Structure of Mongolian Indigenous Cattle Breeds Using Whole Genome Sequencing Data

In the present study, we generated complete genome sequence data from 45 Mongolian cattle. Together with published sequence data from worldwide cattle populations, we explored the genetic diversity and population structure of worldwide cattle breeds. Our findings revealed clustering of cattle populations into three major groups, including commercial (Red-Angus, Hereford, Holstein and Jersey), Chinese (Mongolian and Tibetan) and other native cattle (including African cattle and Rashoki breed from Iran) breeds. The results from admixture analysis revealed evidence of shared genetic ancestry between different cattle populations. Furthermore, our findings showed a markedly higher level of linkage disequilibrium (LD) across all genomic distances in commercial breeds (specially Holstein cattle) compare to other native cattle groups. Our results provide valuable insights into the architecture of Mongolian Indigenous cattle breeds and their genomic relationship with other cattle populations. Pomelo.