The Genetic Diversity of Mink (<i>Neovison vison</i>) Populations in China
Tietao Zhang,
Hu Li,
Peter Foged Larsen,
Hengxing Ba,
Hongyu Shi,
Haihua Zhang,
Zongyue Liu
Affiliations
Tietao Zhang
Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory for Molecular Biology of Special Economic Animals, Key Laboratory of Special Economic Animal Genetic Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Agriculture, Institute of Special Economic Animal and Plant Sciences, The Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun 130112, China
Hu Li
Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory for Molecular Biology of Special Economic Animals, Key Laboratory of Special Economic Animal Genetic Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Agriculture, Institute of Special Economic Animal and Plant Sciences, The Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun 130112, China
Peter Foged Larsen
Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory for Molecular Biology of Special Economic Animals, Key Laboratory of Special Economic Animal Genetic Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Agriculture, Institute of Special Economic Animal and Plant Sciences, The Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun 130112, China
Hengxing Ba
Institute of Antler Science and Product Technology, Changchun Sci-Tech University, Changchun 130112, China
Hongyu Shi
Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory for Molecular Biology of Special Economic Animals, Key Laboratory of Special Economic Animal Genetic Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Agriculture, Institute of Special Economic Animal and Plant Sciences, The Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun 130112, China
Haihua Zhang
Colleges of Animal Science, Hebei Normal University of Science and Technology, Qinhuangdao 066004, China
Zongyue Liu
Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory for Molecular Biology of Special Economic Animals, Key Laboratory of Special Economic Animal Genetic Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Agriculture, Institute of Special Economic Animal and Plant Sciences, The Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun 130112, China
The American mink (Neovison vison) is a semiaquatic species of Mustelid native to North America that is now widespread in China. However, the knowledge of genetic diversity of mink in China is still limited. In this study, we investigated the genetic diversity and identified significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in mink populations of five different color types in three different mink farms in China. Using double-digest restriction site-associated DNA sequencing, we identified a total of 1.3 million SNPs. After filtering the SNPs, phylogenetic tree, Fst, principal component, and population structure analyses were performed. The results demonstrated that red mink and black mink grouped, with separate clustering of all other color types. The population divergence index (Fst) study confirmed that different mink populations were distinct (K = 4). Two populations with different coat colors were subjected to the selection signature analysis, and 2300 genes were found to have a clear selection signature. The genes with a selection signature were subjected to Gene Ontology (GO) categorization and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis, the results revealed that the genes with a selection signature were enriched in the melanogenesis pathway. These study’s findings have set the stage for improved breeding and conservation of genetic resources in real-world practical mink farming.
