The DOI matches its Crossref record; 18 of the 19 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Genetic evidence for Near-Eastern origins of European cattle
Abstract
The limited ranges of the wild progenitors of many of the primary European domestic species point to their origins further east in Anatolia or the fertile crescent. The wild ox (Bos primigenius), however, ranged widely and it is unknown whether it was domesticated within Europe as one feature of a local contribution to the farming economy. Here we examine mitochondrial DNA control-region sequence variation from 392 extant animals sampled from Europe, Africa and the Near East, and compare this with data from four extinct British wild oxen. The ancient sequences cluster tightly in a phylogenetic analysis and are clearly distinct from modern cattle. Network analysis of modern Bos taurus identifies four star-like clusters of haplotypes, with intra-cluster diversities that approximate to that expected from the time depth of domestic history. Notably, one of these clusters predominates in Europe and is one of three encountered at substantial frequency in the Near East. In contrast, African diversity is almost exclusively composed of a separate haplogroup, which is encountered only rarely elsewhere. These data provide strong support for a derived Near-Eastern origin for European cattle.
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“Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) provides the most robust evidence supporting the Near Eastern origin. The Near East encompasses mtDNA taurine lineages (T, T1, T2, T3, T5), exhibiting high genetic diversity [26,27].”
From The Genomic Landscape of Cattle: Domestication, Dispersal, and Adaptive Evolution (2026) · cites this paper as [27]
In the citing paper
“Despite this coexistence, the maternal lineages of European cattle remained overwhelmingly Near Eastern (T3), whereas male-mediated gene flow from local aurochs occurred [27,34].”
From The Genomic Landscape of Cattle: Domestication, Dispersal, and Adaptive Evolution (2026) · cites this paper as [27]
In the citing paper
“The T3 haplogroup is mainly distributed in Eurasia; the T2 haplogroup is found in Anatolia and the Middle East; the T1 haplogroup is mainly distributed in Africa; and T4 haplogroup is mainly distributed in East Asia [14,26,27,33].”
From The Genomic Landscape of Cattle: Domestication, Dispersal, and Adaptive Evolution (2026) · cites this paper as [27]
In the citing paper
“Moving toward peripheral regions such as Europe and Africa, this genetic diversity gradually decreases: modern European cattle primarily carry the taurine T3 lineage, while the T1 lineage is predominantly distributed in Africa [26,27].”
From The Genomic Landscape of Cattle: Domestication, Dispersal, and Adaptive Evolution (2026) · cites this paper as [27]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Troy, C. S., MacHugh, D. E., Bailey, J. F., Magee, D. A., Loftus, R. T., Cunningham, P., Chamberlain, A. T., Sykes, B. C., & Bradley, D. G.
- Affiliations
- Trinity College Dublin (IE)
- University College Dublin (IE)
- University of Sheffield (GB)
- John Radcliffe Hospital (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Bradley, Daniel G.
- Venue
- Nature
- Published
- 2001-04
- Volume
- 410
- Issue
- 6832
- Pages
- 1088-1091
- ISSN
- 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
- 1476-4687
- OpenAlex
- W1886027281
- Cited by
- 627
- References
- 19
- Citations by year
- 2026: 12 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 14 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 36 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 41 · 2018: 31 · 2017: 18 · 2016: 28 · 2015: 34 · 2014: 23 · 2013: 36 · 2012: 26
- FWCI
- 12.01
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Nature (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Research Explorer (The University of Manchester) (publishedVersion)
- reroDoc Digital Library (submittedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- ORCA Online Research @Cardiff (Cardiff University) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestock
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Forensic and Genetic Research
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetic diversity and population structure
- Keywords
- cattle domestication, cattle, Bos primigenius, European cattle, mitochondrial DNA control region, haplogroups, phylogenetic analysis, network analysis, African cattle, Anatolia, Fertile Crescent
- MeSH terms
- Africa, Animals, Animals, Wild, Cattle, DNA, Mitochondrial, Europe, Haplotypes, Middle East, Molecular Sequence Data, Phylogeny, Ruminants, Genetic Variation
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