Genetic Diversity of Montenegrin Local Sheep Breeds Based on Microsatellite Markers

Simple Summary Sheep production is a very important sector in the rural economy and food security of people in the mountains area of Montenegro. The local and autochthonous sheep breeds are very specific and represent a very valuable genetic resource. Many of these sheep breeds are characterized by a permanent decreasing trend of the population size, as well as uncontrolled crossing with other breeds. Consequently, some of them are at risk of extinction and need to be included in the program of ''in situ'' conservation. The characterization of these breeds is mostly based on the investigation of the morphometric and production traits. This study focused on the genetic characterization of all known Montenegrin breeds and populations by using microsatellite markers. The obtained results should provide an important step for the establishment of an adequate strategy for the conservation and sustainable use of the sheep population. The preservation of breeds makes an important contribution to the preservation of Montenegrin traditional products and contributes to the sustainable development of overall sheep production. The Montenegrin sheep population mostly consists of local breeds and their crossbreeds that are very valuable from their genome preservation point of view. The aim of this study was the investigation of the genetic diversity of seven Montenegrin sheep breeds (Jezeropivska-JP, Sora-SOR, Zetska zuja-ZZ, Bardoka-BAR, Sjenicka-SJ, Ljaba-Lj, and Piperska zuja-PIP) using 18 microsatellite sets of markers. The genotyping was done for 291 samples from seven populations using the multiplex amplification of sequences with polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The parameters of genetic diversity were estimated using several software tools. In total, 243 alleles were found, with a range of 6 to 25 by locus. The mean observed heterozygosity (Ho), polymorphism information content (PIC), and Fis values (fixation index) per marker were 0.728, 0.781, and -0.007, respectively. The mean number of alleles per breed varied from 4.889 in ZZ to 10.056 in JP. The highest Ho was estimated for JP (0.763) and the lowest for ZZ (0.640). The genetic structure showed close relations between SOR and JP, and both of them with SJ, while ZZ, LJ, and PIP were more distanced. This study provides useful indicators for the development of further in-depth studies and the creation of appropriate conservation programs.