Genetic diversity and structure in Asian native goat analyzed by newly developed SNP markers

In the current study, a total of 65 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the intron region were developed in goat (Capra hircus) by utilizing genomic information of cattle and sheep due to poor available genomic information on goat. Using these markers, we carried out genetic diversity and structure analyses for 10 Asian goat populations. The phylogenetic tree and principal components analysis showed good correspondence between clustered populations and their geographic locations. The STRUCTURE software analysis illustrated six divergent genetic structures among 10 populations. Myanmar and Cambodia populations showed high admixture patterns with different ancestry, suggesting genetic introgression into native goat populations. We also investigated the correlation between genetic diversity and geographic distance from a domestication center. This result showed a decreasing trend of genetic diversity according to the distance (P = 0.014). This result supported common consensus that western Asia is one of the centers of origin for modern Asian domestic goat.