Comparison of two successor breeds of the Zaupel sheep, Cikta and Forest Sheep, based on their mtDNA control region

Abstract

The aim of this work is to research, preserve and archive the exact genetic background and the associated ancestry of native sheep breeds in a genetic database. In this study, the focus is on the direct comparison of the Cikta and the Forest Sheep (Waldschaf). For this purpose, the genomes of both breeds were compared with the control region in the mtDNA. The biological samples for this study were collected between 2015 and 2017 from a total of 97 individuals, 70 from Cikta (Hungary) and 27 from Forest Sheep (Austria). The total number of polymorphic sites was 125; the number of shared mutations was 51, showing significant genetic identity between the breeds. The result of Tajima's D-test was -0.47672 and showed no significance (P>0.10) as well as the value of the Fs statistic of FU and LIs (0.76212), which is also considered not significant. These are still in the genetic equilibrium. A deviation from it does not endanger the examined community of Zaupel derivatives. This study confirms the common ancestry of Cikta and Forest Sheep, which are known for their breeding history