Cat Breed Formation and the Effect of Selection on Shaping the Genome

The domestic cat has unique population history, especially when compared to other domesticated species and their breeds. The random bred population serves as a reservoir for the creation of cat breeds, where artificial selection on a single or few qualitative external traits is implemented to positively select for aesthetics, including traits such as coat color and fur length or body morphology. Some of these traits are associated with genes previously identified while others remain unknown. In this study, we aim to: (1) investigate the selection history of cat breeds, and (2) identify genomic regions under selection and variants associated with each sweep. To achieve these objectives, we used a SNP genotype dataset of 2161 cats (41 breeds) genotyped using the illumina Feline-infinium 63K SNP array. As a strategy for detecting regions under selection within each breed, we first confirmed that regions under selection contain the known breed defining traits (ex. the presence of a sweep in FGF5 on chr.B1 associated with longhair in Persian). Secondly, we will explore the novel regions under selection for new variants associated with unidentified phenotypes. The results presented for the current stage of the study include (1) summary statistics of the breeds and autosomal markers used, (2) population structure and relationships among breeds, and (3) a comprehensive map of the expected genomic areas under selection in the domestic cat and its breeds. The outcome of the study will ultimately clarify development history of cat breeds by comparing the locality and intensity of genomic selection patterns.