Genetic characterization of Cuban Creole cattle using molecular tools
Abstract
The bovine Cuban Creole is product of the prolonged almost empirically directed process of natural selection, of the descendants of the cattle Bos taurus brought by the Spaniards conquerors and of animal coming from Africa, with genes Bos indicus. The present study sustains the Cuban Creole bovine characterization through typing tools of six milky proteins, random amplified polymorphic DNA markers, 30 microsatellite loci, the D-loop region of the mtDNA and six Y chromosome microsatellites. It was confirmed the presence of Bos indicus genes in the Cuban Creole, supposedly pure Bos taurus, with genetic potential to be used in programs to improve the quality of milk; there is a high genetic variability in the breed with proper alleles of the race and an intermediate profile between both uniparental ascendances by the mtDNA haplotypic composition; the molecular variation of the Y chromosome demonstrates a recent process of introgression of the mediated Zebu males, which agrees with its historical origin. The molecular characterization of genetic material of interest for the bovine Cuban Cattle was obtained for the very first time, with almost the totality of the markers available for this aims, which is an important contribution to the knowledge of the genetic characteristics of the Creole cattle in Cuba. It also contributes with valuable information on its genetic variability as a starting point for the design and development of programs to improve and increase the productive indicators and establish the bases for the development of this Cuban native race conservation programs, in situ or ex situ.
