Indigenous African cattle have adapted to wild local environmental conditions. They have acquired superior phenotypic distinctiveness that enhances their survival under harsh conditions. Recent studies have attempted to investigate the phenotypic and genotypic adaptation of African cattle to the local environment. However, the genotypic characters of each indigenous breed have been poorly investigated. We performed a comparative genome-wide analysis to identify informative genes characterizing trypanotolerant N’Dama. The proposed approach examines the differences of genomic patterns in SNP variances between N’Dama and other cattle breeds, and identifies the potential association among candidate genes based on N’Dama-specific genetic variations. Moreover, functional analysis shows the candidate genes were associated with ossification and neurological system. Particularly, the multiple genes linked to bone formation are involved in hematopoietic process in bone marrow during which various immune cells differentiate and become mature. These results indicate that N’Dama might have developed an immuno-genetic mechanism conferring resistance to various regional diseases including trypanosomiasis. Our results imply that N’Dama possesses genetically distinguishing characteristics in the regulation of ossification and neurological systems, which may differentiate N’Dama from other cattle breeds. This study offers significant insights into identifying the new genetic signatures for the local adaptation of diverse African cattle breeds in a genome-wide level.
