Cited by 5Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestockGenomics and Phylogenetic StudiesChromosomal and Genetic Variations

Advancing the Indian Cattle Pangenome: Characterizing Non-Reference Sequences in Bos indicus

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Azam, Sarwar, Sahu, Abhisek, Pandey, Naveen Kumar, Neupane, Mahesh, Van Tassell, Curtis P, Rosen, Benjamin D, Gandham, Ravi Kumar, Rath, Subha Narayan +1 more·2025·Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology

Abstract

BACKGROUND: India harbors the world's largest cattle population, encompassing over 50 distinct Bos indicus breeds. This rich genetic diversity underscores the inadequacy of a single reference genome to fully capture the genomic landscape of Indian cattle. To comprehensively characterize the genomic variation within Bos indicus and, specifically, dairy breeds, we aim to identify non-reference sequences and construct a comprehensive pangenome. RESULTS: Five representative genomes of prominent dairy breeds, including Gir, Kankrej, Tharparkar, Sahiwal, and Red Sindhi, were sequenced using 10X Genomics 'linked-read' technology. Assemblies generated from these linked-reads ranged from 2.70 Gb to 2.77 Gb, comparable to the Bos indicus Brahman reference genome. A pangenome of Bos indicus cattle was constructed by comparing the newly assembled genomes with the reference using alignment and graph-based methods, revealing 8 Mb and 17.7 Mb of novel sequence respectively. A confident set of 6,844 Non-reference Unique Insertions (NUIs) spanning 7.57 Mb was identified through both methods, representing the pangenome of Indian Bos indicus breeds. Comparative analysis with previously published pangenomes unveiled 2.8 Mb (37%) commonality with the Chinese indicine pangenome and only 1% commonality with the Bos taurus pangenome. Among these, 2,312 NUIs encompassing ~ 2 Mb, were commonly found in 98 samples of the 5 breeds and designated as Bos indicus Common Insertions (BICIs) in the population. Furthermore, 926 BICIs were identified within 682 protein-coding genes, 54 long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA), and 18 pseudogenes. These protein-coding genes were enriched for functions such as chemical synaptic transmission, cell junction organization, cell-cell adhesion, and cell morphogenesis. The protein-coding genes were found in various prominent quantitative trait locus (QTL) regions, suggesting potential roles of BICIs in traits related to milk production, reproduction, exterior, health, meat, and carcass. Notably, 63.21% of the bases within the BICIs call set contained interspersed repeats, predominantly Long Interspersed Nuclear Elements (LINEs). Additionally, 70.28% of BICIs are shared with other domesticated and wild species, highlighting their evolutionary significance. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report unveiling a robust set of NUIs defining the pangenome of Bos indicus breeds of India. The analyses contribute valuable insights into the genomic landscape of desi cattle breeds.

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  • Azam et al. identified 7.5 Mb of high-confidence non-reference unique insertions and 41 Mb of non-reference novel sequences in Indian cattle, enriched in immune-related gene clusters.

    “Similarly, Azam et al. [185,186] identified 7.5 Mb of high-confidence non-reference unique insertions (NUIs) and 41Mb of non-reference novel sequences in Indian cattle. These insertions are enriched in immune-related gene clusters, further highlighting that indicine immune systems possess a genomic repertoire distinct from the taurine reference genome [186].”

    From The Genomic Landscape of Cattle: Domestication, Dispersal, and Adaptive Evolution (2026) · cites this paper as [186]

    The Abstract Results report 6,844 high-confidence NUIs spanning 7.57 Mb in Indian Bos indicus breeds, supporting the 7.5 Mb figure. They report 8 Mb and 17.7 Mb of novel sequence by two methods, not 41 Mb. The Results section on the functional impact of common insertions reports enrichment for synaptic transmission, cell organization and adhesion, not immune-related gene clusters. (LLM, conf=0.90)

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Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. [44]Ripley BD. The R project in statistical computing. MSOR connect. Educational development unit. Univ Greenwich. 2001;1:23–5.
  2. [69]Bison bison bison genome assembly Bison_UMD1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/data-hub/assembly/gcf_000754665.1/. Accessed 13 Mar 2024.

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Authors
Azam, S., Sahu, A., Pandey, N. K., Neupane, M., Van Tassell, C. P., Rosen, B. D., Gandham, R. K., Rath, S. N., & Majumdar, S. S.
Affiliations
  • National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (IN)
  • Agricultural Research Service (US)
  • Indian Council of Agricultural Research (IN)
  • Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IN)
Corresponding author
  • Rosen, Benjamin D
  • Gandham, Ravi Kumar
Venue
Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology
Published
2025-02-07
Volume
16
Issue
1
Pages
21-21
ISSN
  • 1674-9782 (ISSN-L)
  • 2049-1891
OpenAlex
W4407204082
Cited by
5
References
88
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 2
FWCI
2.92
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology/Journal of animal science and biotechnology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
Department of Biotechnology (DBT), India (BT/PR26466/AAQ/1/704/2017, BT/PR32758/AAQ/1/760/2019)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestock
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Plant Science › Chromosomal and Genetic Variations
Keywords
Bos indicus, Indian cattle, pan-genome, non-reference sequences, dairy cattle breeds, Gir, Tharparkar, Sahiwal, Red Sindhi, long interspersed nuclear elements, interspersed repeats, quantitative trait loci, milk production traits, comparative genomics

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