To estimate effect of single nucleotide polymorphisms on the intramuscular fat content (IMF) of Hungarian Simmental bulls. Genotypes were determined on high-density Illumina Bovine DNA Chip. After slaughtering of animals, chemical percentage of intramuscular fat was determined from longissimus dorsi muscle. A multi-locus mixed-model was applied for statistical analyses. Analyses revealed four loci (rs43284251, rs109210955, rs41630030, and rs41642251) to be highly associated (-log10P>12) with IMF located on chromosome 1, 6, 13, and 17, respectively. The frequency of their minor alleles was 0.426, 0.221, 0.162, and 0.106. The loci above can be useful in selection programs and gives the possibility to assist selection by molecular tools.

Studies of wild boar, Sus scrofa Linnaeus 1758, in urban and suburban areas of Budapest, Hungary, have indicated that these populations do not have continuous contact. Based on the assumption that the city has a discrete population, we hypothesized that the urban wild boar would differ genetically from those in suburban areas. Analysis of single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data using the GeneSeek Genomic Profiler (GGP) Porcine 50 K system (Neogen, Scotland, UK) differentiated three populations: Buda (B) from the Western bank of the Danube; Buda Surrounding (BS); and Valkó (V) from the Eastern bank of the Danube. The coefficient of genetic differentiation (F_ST) for the B and BS populations was low. The inbreeding coefficients of the populations BS and V were close to zero, while population B had a high positive value reflecting the influence of founders and the inbreeding of the continuous urban population. The genome regions that were most differentiated between the B and BS populations were analyzed based on the F_ST values of the SNP markers using a mixed linear multi-locus model and BayeScan software. The most differentiated marker, WU_10.2_18_56278226, was found on chromosome 18. The surrounding region contained several candidate genes that could play important roles in adaptations related to human-induced stress. Two of these, encoding the adenylate cyclase 1 (ADCY1) and inhibin beta A chain precursor (INHBA) genes, were sequenced. While IHBA gene did not display variation, the allele distribution of the ADCY1 gene in the B population was significantly different from that of the BS population supporting the parapatric differentiation of wild boar.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the genetic structure and characteristics of the Angus cattle population in Hungary. The survey was performed with the assistance of the Hungarian Hereford, Angus, Galloway Association (HHAGA).Methods: Genetic parameters of 1,369 animals from 16 Angus herds were analyzed using the genotyping results of 12 microsatellite markers with the aid of PowerMarker, Genalex, GDA-NT2021, and STRUCTURE software. Genotyping of DNA was performed using an automated genetic analyzer. Based on pairwise identity by state values of animals, the Python networkx 2.3 library was used for network analysis of the breed and to identify the central animals.Results: The observed numbers of alleles on the 12 loci under investigation ranged from 11 to 18. The average effective number of alleles was 3.201. The overall expected heterozygosity was 0.659 and the observed heterozygosity was 0.710. Four groups were detected among the 16 Angus herds. The breeders’ information validated the grouping results and facilitated the comparison of birth weight, age at first calving, number of calves born and productive lifespan data between the four groups, revealing significant differences. We identified the central animals/herd of the Angus population in Hungary. The match of our group descriptions with the phenotypic data provided by the breeders further underscores the value of cooperation between breeders and researchers.Conclusion: The observation that significant differences in the measured traits occurred among the identified groups paves the way to further enhancement of breeding efficiency. Our findings have the potential to aid the development of new breeding strategies and help breeders keep the Angus populations in Hungary under genetic supervision. Based on our results the efficient use of an upcoming genomic selection can, in some cases, significantly improve birth weight, age at first calving, number of calves born and the productive lifespan of animals.

Objective: In this study, we aimed to position the Hungarian Merino among other Merino-derived sheep breeds, explore the characteristics of our sampled animals' genetic similarity network within the breed, and highlight single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with daily weight-gain.Methods: Hungarian Merino (n = 138) was genotyped on Ovine SNP50 Bead Chip (Illumina, San Diego, CA, USA) and positioned among 30 Merino and Merino-derived breeds (n = 555). Population characteristics were obtained via PLINK, SVS, Admixture, and Treemix software, within-breed network was analysed with python networkx 2.3 library. Daily weight gain of Hungarian Merino was standardised to 60 days and was collected from the database of the Association of Hungarian Sheep and Goat Breeders. For the identification of loci associated with daily weight gain, a multi-locus mixed-model was used.Results: Supporting the breed's written history, the closest breeds to Hungarian Merino were Estremadura and Rambouillet (pairwise FST values are 0.035 and 0.036, respectively). Among Hungarian Merino, a highly centralised connectedness has been revealed by network analysis of pairwise values of identity-by-state, where the animal in the central node had a betweenness centrality value equal to 0.936. Probing of daily weight gain against the SNP data of Hungarian Merinos revealed five associated loci. Two of them, OAR8_17854216.1 and s42441.1 on chromosome 8 and 9 (–log10P>22, false discovery rate<5.5e-20) and one locus on chromosome 20, s28948.1 (–log10P = 13.46, false discovery rate = 4.1e-11), were close to the markers reported in other breeds concerning daily weight gain, six-month weight, and post-weaning gain.Conclusion: The position of Hungarian Merino among other Merino breeds has been determined. We have described the similarity network of the individuals to be applied in breeding practices and highlighted several markers useful for elevating the daily weight gain of Hungarian Merino.

The aim of this study was to determine the breed boundary of the Hungarian Short-haired Vizsla (HSV) dog breed. Seventy registered purebred HSV dogs were genotyped on approximately 145,000 SNPs. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Admixture analysis certified that they belong to the same population. The outer point of the breed demarcation was a single Hungarian Wire-haired Vizsla (HWV) individual, which was the closest animal genetically to the HSV population in the PCA analysis. Three programs were used for the breed assignment calculations, including the widely used GeneClass2.0 software and two additional approaches developed here: the ‘PCA-distance’ and ‘IBS-central’ methods. Both new methods calculate a single number that represents how closely a dog fits into the actual reference population. The former approach calculates this number based on the PCA distances from the median of HSV animals. The latter calculates it from identity by state (IBS) data, measuring the distance from a central animal that is the best representative of the breed. Having no mixed-breed dogs with known HSV genome proportion, admixture animals were simulated by using data of HSV and HWV individuals to calibrate the inclusion/exclusion probabilities for the assignment. The numbers generated from these relatively simple calculations can be used by breeders and clubs to keep their populations under genetic supervision.