The Multifaceted Origin of Taurine Cattle Reflected by the Mitochondrial Genome
Open accessAbstract
A Neolithic domestication of taurine cattle in the Fertile Crescent from local aurochsen (Bos primigenius) is generally accepted, but a genetic contribution from European aurochsen has been proposed. Here we performed a survey of a large number of taurine cattle mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control regions from numerous European breeds confirming the overall clustering within haplogroups (T1, T2 and T3) of Near Eastern ancestry, but also identifying eight mtDNAs (1.3%) that did not fit in haplogroup T. Sequencing of the entire mitochondrial genome showed that four mtDNAs formed a novel branch (haplogroup R) which, after the deep bifurcation that gave rise to the taurine and zebuine lineages, constitutes the earliest known split in the mtDNA phylogeny of B. primigenius. The remaining four mtDNAs were members of the recently discovered haplogroup Q. Phylogeographic data indicate that R mtDNAs were derived from female European aurochsen, possibly in the Italian Peninsula, and sporadically included in domestic herds. In contrast, the available data suggest that Q mtDNAs and T subclades were involved in the same Neolithic event of domestication in the Near East. Thus, the existence of novel (and rare) taurine haplogroups highlights a multifaceted genetic legacy from distinct B. primigenius populations. Taking into account that the maternally transmitted mtDNA tends to underestimate the extent of gene flow from European aurochsen, the detection of the R mtDNAs in autochthonous breeds, some of which are endangered, identifies an unexpected reservoir of genetic variation that should be carefully preserved.
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The P, Q, and R haplogroups represent ancient branches parallel to the T lineage, indicating secondary introgression of European aurochs genes during the expansion of cattle populations into Europe.
“The P, Q, and R haplogroups represent ancient branches parallel to the T lineage, indicating secondary introgression of European aurochs genes during the expansion of cattle populations into Europe [5,39,40].”
From The Genomic Landscape of Cattle: Domestication, Dispersal, and Adaptive Evolution (2026) · cites this paper as [40]
The Discussion sections on non-T mtDNAs and haplogroup R identify P, Q, and R as distinct from T and attribute P and R to interbreeding with European aurochsen. But “A Near Eastern Domestication for Haplogroup Q” says Q most likely arose from Near Eastern aurochs and spread with human migrations, so the proposed European-aurochs introgression does not apply to all three. Page numbers are not provided in our copy’s passages. (LLM, conf=0.92)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredIn southern European populations, such as Italian cattle, small amounts of mitochondrial Q and R haplogroups are present.
“In southern European populations, such as Italian cattle, small amounts of mitochondrial Q and R haplogroups are present [39,40].”
From The Genomic Landscape of Cattle: Domestication, Dispersal, and Adaptive Evolution (2026) · cites this paper as [40]
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- Authors
- Achilli, A., Bonfiglio, S., Olivieri, A., Malusà, A., Pala, M., Kashani, B. H., Perego, U. A., Ajmone-Marsan, P., Liotta, L., Semino, O., Bandelt, H.-J., Ferretti, L., & Torroni, A.
- Affiliations
- University of Pavia (IT)
- University of Messina (IT)
- Universität Hamburg (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Ferretti, Luca
- Torroni, Antonio
- ORCID
- Venue
- PLoS ONE
- Publisher
- Public Library of Science (PLoS)
- Published
- 2009-06-01
- Volume
- 4
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- e5753
- ISSN
- 1932-6203 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC2684589
- OpenAlex
- W2131881226
- Cited by
- 212
- References
- 27
- Citations by year
- 2026: 10 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 24 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 15 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 20 · 2014: 15 · 2013: 15 · 2012: 19
- FWCI
- 7.75
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- PLoS ONE (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- University of Huddersfield Repository (University of Huddersfield) (acceptedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- PubliCatt (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- Compagnia di San Paolo
- Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali
- 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
- taurine cattle, cattle domestication, aurochs, Bos primigenius, mitochondrial DNA, mtDNA haplogroups, Fertile Crescent, gene flow, phylogeography, endangered cattle breeds, genetic diversity conservation
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Cattle, DNA, Mitochondrial, Female, Haplotypes, Mitochondria, Models, Biological, Phylogeny, Species Specificity, Genetic Variation, Likelihood Functions, Polymerase Chain Reaction, Sequence Analysis, DNA, Evolution, Molecular, Genome, Mitochondrial
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