IDMRT3/I Allele Frequencies in Batida- and Picada-Gaited Donkeys and Mules in Brazil

• Published in: Animals (Basel) Vol. 13; no. 24
• Main Authors: Herman, Mariana, Caceres, Amanda Manara, Albuquerque, Ana Luísa H, Leite, Raíssa O, Araújo, César Erineudo T, Delfiol, Diego José Z, Curi, Rogério A, Borges, Alexandre S, Oliveira-Filho, José P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 01.12.2023
• Subjects: Analysis; Genes; Genetic polymorphisms; Mules; Brazil
• ISSN: 2076-2615; 2076-2615
• DOI: 10.3390/ani13243829

In Brazil, the production of gaited mules has been a prominent activity in agribusiness. The selection of gaited saddle mules with a comfortable gait for covering long distances at low speeds involves crossing marching donkeys of the Pêga breeds with horses, preferably those belonging to the Mangalarga Marchador and Campolina breeds. The reference-C and non-reference-A alleles of the DMRT3:g.22999655C>A SNP are linked with different horse gaits, including the batida gait (diagonalized) and the picada gait (lateralized) in Mangalarga Marchador and Campolina horses, respectively. Since donkeys (Equus asinus) and mules (E. asinus ♂ x E. caballus ♀) also exhibit these gaits, this study aimed to determine whether the genotype affects the gait type in these animals. The higher frequency of CA mules and the rare presence of the A allele of DMRT3 in donkeys match previous findings in Mangalarga Marchador and Campolina horses, which are crucial in creating marching mules in Brazil. This suggests that the A allele likely came from the mares used in mating with donkeys. Furthermore, our findings suggest that factors beyond this gene variant, such as other genes and genetic variations, play a role in gait characteristics in equids. In Brazil, the production of mules with a comfortable gait primarily involves the breeding of marching saddle mules. This is achieved by crossing gaited Pêga donkeys with horses from the Mangalarga Marchador and Campolina breeds. The DMRT3:g.22999655C>A SNP is implicated in regulating gait phenotypes observed in various horse breeds, including the batida (CC) and picada (CA) gaits found in these horse breeds. We aimed to determine if genotypes influenced gait type in 159 mules and 203 donkeys genotyped for the DMRT3 SNP by PCR-RFLP analysis. About 47% of mules had the CC-genotype, while 53% had the CA-genotype. Donkeys predominantly had the CC-genotype (97%), and none had AA. Both CC- and CA-genotypes were evenly distributed among mules with the batida or picada gaits. In donkeys, the CC-genotype frequencies were consistent regardless of gait type. However, the CA-genotype was more common in picada-gaited donkeys than in batida-gaited donkeys. The prevalence of CA mules and the rare presence of the non-reference allele in donkeys align with previous findings in Mangalarga Marchador and Campolina horses. This suggests that the non-reference allele likely originated from the mares involved in donkey crosses. Our results also imply that factors beyond this variant, such as other genes and polymorphisms, influence gait traits in equids.