Zavot cattle genetic characterization using microsatellites

This study aimed to reveal the genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationship between intra- and inter-breeds of Zavot cattle raised locally in and around Kars province, Türkiye. A total of 209 [Zavot (ZAV) n = 49, Eastern Anatolian Red (EAR) n = 40, Simmental (SIM) n = 40, Brown-Swiss (BS) n = 40, and Holstein (HOLS) n = 40] non-related cattle without any clinical health problems were evaluated. Using the standard phenol–chloroform method, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was isolated from blood samples and amplified by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using 19 bovine-specific microsatellite markers. A capillary electrophoresis process was applied to the denatured PCR products. A total of 274 different alleles were identified, with an average of 10.29 and an average of effective alleles of 5.38. According to the genetic distance matrix between populations, the largest genetic distance was found between ZAV-HOLS (0.358) populations, while ZAV - EAR populations were located at the same roots. The largest FST value (0.072) was found among ZAV-HOLS populations. According to the factorial correspondence analysis (FCA) graph, each population was located separately but also showed a mixture, especially the ZAV, EAR, and BS populations. The average polymorphism information content (PIC) values were the lowest (0.44) for the BM2113 marker and the highest (0.92) for the TGLA53 marker. In conclusion, ZAV cattle bred in the Kars region were found to be completely separate from the BS and SIM breeds which were claimed to have contributed to the formation of the ZAV breed. Since currently the native breeds, which are symbolic of the region, inbreeding cannot be prevented, an increase in studies devoted to the protection of these breeds and the establishment of pure herds will be useful for the future of native cattle in Türkiye.