A structural variant at ASIP associated with the darkness of hair coat is found in multiple zebu cattle populations

Abstract A structural variant (SV) in the agouti signaling protein gene ( ASIP ), namely ASIP ‐SV1, has been found to strongly correlate with the darkness of hair coat in specific regions of the body of bulls from the zebu ( Bos indicus ) Nellore breed. Here we visually analyzed the whole‐genome sequence of zebu and taurine ( Bos taurus ) cattle to elucidate the extent of spread of ASIP ‐SV1 in different cattle populations. Of 216 sequences analyzed, 63 zebu (45.9%) and five taurine (6.3%) animals had at least one copy of ASIP ‐SV1. Four of the taurine animals presenting the SV were Romagnola cattle, a breed with history of zebu introgression. The remaining taurine animal was a Simmental, a breed frequently used in crossbreeding. These data provide evidence that ASIP ‐SV1 is commonly found in zebu populations, in addition to taurine animals with zebu admixture.