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Peer-reviewedCC BYArchives animal breeding

Genome-wide selection signatures in Turkish Awassi sheep: uncovering the genetic basis of production traits and adaptation.

  • Hasan Meydan1
  • Eymen Demir2
  • Ümit Bilginer3
  • Huriye Doğru4
  • Sarp Kaya4
  • Bahar Argun Karsli5
  • Yusuf Aktaş6
  • Veli Atmaca7
  • Francesco Perini8
  • Taki Karsli6
8 affiliations
  1. 1Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, Akdeniz University, Antalya, 07070, Türkiye.
  2. 2Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Akdeniz University, Antalya, 07070, Türkiye.
  3. 3Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
  4. 4Department of Medical Services and Techniques, Vocational School of Burdur Health Services, Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University, Burdur, 15100, Türkiye.
  5. 5Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, Eskişehir Osmangazi University, Eskişehir, 26160, Türkiye.
  6. 6Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Eskişehir Osmangazi University, Eskişehir, 26160, Türkiye.
  7. 7Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Kırşehir Ahi Evran University, Kırşehir, 40100, Türkiye.
  8. 8Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia, Perugia, 06121, Italy.
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Abstract

The Awassi sheep is one of the leading fat-tailed breeds of the Fertile Crescent, known for its high milk yield and resilience in arid and semi-arid environments. Despite its socio-economic importance, a high-resolution genomic characterization of selection signatures in Turkish Awassi populations remains limited. This study aimed to investigate the genomic diversity, demographic history, and selection signatures of Turkish Awassi sheep using double-digest restriction-site-associated DNA sequencing (ddRADseq). Genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) discovery was performed on 40 unrelated Awassi sheep. Genetic diversity parameters, historical effective population size ( Ne ), and linkage disequilibrium (LD) decay were assessed. Selection signatures were identified using both runs of homozygosity (ROH) islands and Tajima's D analyses, followed by functional annotation of candidate genes. A total of 397 315 high-quality SNPs were identified. The average minor allele frequency (MAF) was 0.333, and the ROH-based inbreeding coefficient ( FROH ) was low (0.025), indicating high genetic integrity. The historical Ne showed a consistent decline, reaching 147 in the most recent generations. Selection signature analysis identified 21 and 48 protein-coding genes by means of ROH and Tajima's D , respectively. The key candidate genes were associated with milk yield and lactation (AKR1C3, AKR1D1, OXT, AVP, ZNF131), meat production and growth (PBX1, KBTBD8, HOXA cluster, ADGB), fat-tail formation (HOXA cluster, HMGCS1, STARD4), and environmental adaptation (ABCB1, TSLP, IL6). Our findings reveal that the Turkish Awassi genome is a rich genetic reservoir shaped by combined natural and artificial selection. The selection signatures identified in this study provide fundamental genomic targets for future breeding strategies to enhance productivity without compromising environmental resilience. These findings support the use of Turkish Awassi as a genetic resource for breeding programs in arid and semi-arid production systems.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{meydan2026genomewide,
  title = {{Genome-wide selection signatures in Turkish Awassi sheep: uncovering the genetic basis of production traits and adaptation.}},
  author = {Hasan Meydan and Eymen Demir and Ümit Bilginer and Huriye Doğru and Sarp Kaya and Bahar Argun Karsli and Yusuf Aktaş and Veli Atmaca and Francesco Perini and Taki Karsli},
  journal = {Archives animal breeding},
  year = {2026},
  month = nov,
  doi = {10.5194/aab-69-605-2026},
  url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42974365},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Genome-wide selection signatures in Turkish Awassi sheep: uncovering the genetic basis of production traits and adaptation.
AU  - Hasan Meydan
AU  - Eymen Demir
AU  - Ümit Bilginer
AU  - Huriye Doğru
AU  - Sarp Kaya
AU  - Bahar Argun Karsli
AU  - Yusuf Aktaş
AU  - Veli Atmaca
AU  - Francesco Perini
AU  - Taki Karsli
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/11/02
JO  - Archives animal breeding
DO  - 10.5194/aab-69-605-2026
UR  - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42974365
AB  - The Awassi sheep is one of the leading fat-tailed breeds of the Fertile Crescent, known for its high milk yield and resilience in arid and semi-arid environments. Despite its socio-economic importance, a high-resolution genomic characterization of selection signatures in Turkish Awassi populations remains limited. This study aimed to investigate the genomic diversity, demographic history, and selection signatures of Turkish Awassi sheep using double-digest restriction-site-associated DNA sequencing (ddRADseq). Genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) discovery was performed on 40 unrelated Awassi sheep. Genetic diversity parameters, historical effective population size ( Ne ), and linkage disequilibrium (LD) decay were assessed. Selection signatures were identified using both runs of homozygosity (ROH) islands and Tajima's D analyses, followed by functional annotation of candidate genes. A total of 397 315 high-quality SNPs were identified. The average minor allele frequency (MAF) was 0.333, and the ROH-based inbreeding coefficient ( FROH ) was low (0.025), indicating high genetic integrity. The historical Ne showed a consistent decline, reaching 147 in the most recent generations. Selection signature analysis identified 21 and 48 protein-coding genes by means of ROH and Tajima's D , respectively. The key candidate genes were associated with milk yield and lactation (AKR1C3, AKR1D1, OXT, AVP, ZNF131), meat production and growth (PBX1, KBTBD8, HOXA cluster, ADGB), fat-tail formation (HOXA cluster, HMGCS1, STARD4), and environmental adaptation (ABCB1, TSLP, IL6). Our findings reveal that the Turkish Awassi genome is a rich genetic reservoir shaped by combined natural and artificial selection. The selection signatures identified in this study provide fundamental genomic targets for future breeding strategies to enhance productivity without compromising environmental resilience. These findings support the use of Turkish Awassi as a genetic resource for breeding programs in arid and semi-arid production systems.
SN  - 2363-9822
ER  -