Genomic evidence of positive selection highlights functional divergence associated with environmental resilience in central and West African indigenous cattle

African indigenous cattle harbor rich genetic diversity shaped by long-term adaptation to tropical climates and endemic diseases, notably trypanosomiasis. To investigate the genetic basis of natural disease resistance, we analyzed 33,147 SNPs in 1,047 individuals from 17 breeds using complementary s...

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Autores principales: Bitew, M.K., Paguem, A., Abanda, B., Achukwi, D.M., Manchang, K.T., Preuß, S., Hanotte, Olivier H., Senczuk, G., Renz, A., Eisenbarth, A., Pilla, F.
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Nature Research 2026
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/178447
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author Bitew, M.K.
Paguem, A.
Abanda, B.
Achukwi, D.M.
Manchang, K.T.
Preuß, S.
Hanotte, Olivier H.
Senczuk, G.
Renz, A.
Eisenbarth, A.
Pilla, F.
author_browse Abanda, B.
Achukwi, D.M.
Bitew, M.K.
Eisenbarth, A.
Hanotte, Olivier H.
Manchang, K.T.
Paguem, A.
Pilla, F.
Preuß, S.
Renz, A.
Senczuk, G.
author_facet Bitew, M.K.
Paguem, A.
Abanda, B.
Achukwi, D.M.
Manchang, K.T.
Preuß, S.
Hanotte, Olivier H.
Senczuk, G.
Renz, A.
Eisenbarth, A.
Pilla, F.
author_sort Bitew, M.K.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description African indigenous cattle harbor rich genetic diversity shaped by long-term adaptation to tropical climates and endemic diseases, notably trypanosomiasis. To investigate the genetic basis of natural disease resistance, we analyzed 33,147 SNPs in 1,047 individuals from 17 breeds using complementary selection scans (iHS, XP-EHH, and Rsb) in a multi-cohort framework. Fifteen pairwise comparisons across six breed groups enabled robust detection of recent positive selection, capturing both within-breed and breed-specific adaptive signals. We identified 229 selective regions, with 47 outlier SNPs consistently detected by multiple methods. Selection signals were enriched on chromosomes 5, 7, and 29, containing candidate genes such as ATF4, PKNOX2, DNAJB7, TEF, NFE2, and several SPINK and HOXC family members, many associated with immune function and trypanosome challenge response. These genomic regions represent promising targets for the development of breeding strategies aimed at enhancing disease resilience. By identifying genomic regions under selection, this study provides interesting insights for sustainable livestock improvement and conservation efforts in West and Central Africa. Our findings support the integration of indigenous genetic resources into breeding programs designed to optimize productivity while maintaining resilience to environmental and disease pressures.
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spelling CGSpace1784472026-01-19T10:01:11Z Genomic evidence of positive selection highlights functional divergence associated with environmental resilience in central and West African indigenous cattle Bitew, M.K. Paguem, A. Abanda, B. Achukwi, D.M. Manchang, K.T. Preuß, S. Hanotte, Olivier H. Senczuk, G. Renz, A. Eisenbarth, A. Pilla, F. cattle genomics landraces African indigenous cattle harbor rich genetic diversity shaped by long-term adaptation to tropical climates and endemic diseases, notably trypanosomiasis. To investigate the genetic basis of natural disease resistance, we analyzed 33,147 SNPs in 1,047 individuals from 17 breeds using complementary selection scans (iHS, XP-EHH, and Rsb) in a multi-cohort framework. Fifteen pairwise comparisons across six breed groups enabled robust detection of recent positive selection, capturing both within-breed and breed-specific adaptive signals. We identified 229 selective regions, with 47 outlier SNPs consistently detected by multiple methods. Selection signals were enriched on chromosomes 5, 7, and 29, containing candidate genes such as ATF4, PKNOX2, DNAJB7, TEF, NFE2, and several SPINK and HOXC family members, many associated with immune function and trypanosome challenge response. These genomic regions represent promising targets for the development of breeding strategies aimed at enhancing disease resilience. By identifying genomic regions under selection, this study provides interesting insights for sustainable livestock improvement and conservation efforts in West and Central Africa. Our findings support the integration of indigenous genetic resources into breeding programs designed to optimize productivity while maintaining resilience to environmental and disease pressures. 2026-01-09 2025-12-02T16:04:43Z 2025-12-02T16:04:43Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/178447 en Open Access Nature Research Bitew, M.K., Paguem, A., Abanda, B., Achukwi, D.M., Manchang, K.T., Preuß, S., Hanotte, O., Senczuk, G., Renz, A., Eisenbarth, A. and Pilla, F. 2026. Genomic evidence of positive selection highlights functional divergence associated with environmental resilience in central and West African indigenous cattle. Scientific Reports 16:1129.
spellingShingle cattle
genomics
landraces
Bitew, M.K.
Paguem, A.
Abanda, B.
Achukwi, D.M.
Manchang, K.T.
Preuß, S.
Hanotte, Olivier H.
Senczuk, G.
Renz, A.
Eisenbarth, A.
Pilla, F.
Genomic evidence of positive selection highlights functional divergence associated with environmental resilience in central and West African indigenous cattle
title Genomic evidence of positive selection highlights functional divergence associated with environmental resilience in central and West African indigenous cattle
title_full Genomic evidence of positive selection highlights functional divergence associated with environmental resilience in central and West African indigenous cattle
title_fullStr Genomic evidence of positive selection highlights functional divergence associated with environmental resilience in central and West African indigenous cattle
title_full_unstemmed Genomic evidence of positive selection highlights functional divergence associated with environmental resilience in central and West African indigenous cattle
title_short Genomic evidence of positive selection highlights functional divergence associated with environmental resilience in central and West African indigenous cattle
title_sort genomic evidence of positive selection highlights functional divergence associated with environmental resilience in central and west african indigenous cattle
topic cattle
genomics
landraces
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/178447
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