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. 2025 Apr 22;15(9):1186.
doi: 10.3390/ani15091186.

Phylogenetic Position of Hungarian Grey Cattle Breed Based on Total-Representation Sample

Ákos Maróti-Agóts  1 , Zsombor Wagenhoffer  1 , Csilla Józsa  2 , Endre Kaltenecker  3 , Balázs Kemény  1 , Kristóf Csurgay  4 , Benedek Zsigmond  5 , Irene Cardinali  6 , Hovirag Lancioni  6 , András Gáspárdy  1
Affiliations

Phylogenetic Position of Hungarian Grey Cattle Breed Based on Total-Representation Sample

Ákos Maróti-Agóts et al. Animals (Basel). .

Abstract

The Hungarian Grey (HG) cattle breed was almost extinct after WW2; only 200 cows and six bulls survived. Despite the historical significance of the HG, no comprehensive genomic analysis has been conducted to clarify its genetic diversity and evolutionary history. Previous studies have relied on random or limited pedigree sampling, lacking a fully representative dataset determining genetic and conservation status. Here, the founder sampling of 110 individuals and the analysis of their mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence variation aim to investigate the phylogenetic placement of the breed using, for the first time, a fully representative sample. All identified haplogroups belong to the taurine T macro-haplogroup, with a predominance of T3 (89.1%), followed by T2 (4.5%), T1 (3.6%), and T1'2'3 (2.7%). The phylogenetic analysis confirms the absence of ancient haplogroups derived from European aurochs, suggesting a purely taurine origin for the HG breed. The high haplotype diversity (Hd = 0.94) and the genetic similarity to other Podolian breeds, particularly Maremmana cattle, indicate a preserved genetic background despite centuries of selective breeding. The lack of intensive crossbreeding practices has maintained the original beef production purpose of the breed, distinguishing it from the crossbred Podolian cattle used for dual-purpose or dairy production.

Keywords: Hungarian Grey cattle; founder sampling; mitochondrial control region; phylogeny; taurine mitochondrial haplogroup; total-representation sample.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A bar chart showing sub-haplogroup frequency based on the mtDNA control region sequencing of the Hungarian Grey cattle dataset with complete representation.
Figure 2
Figure 2
A schematic representation of the HG mtDNAs within the Bos taurus phylogeny. This tree encompasses 110 sequences marked with their original IDs (further information is reported in Table S1) all falling within the T haplogroup. The represented topology is one of the most parsimonious trees, differing mainly in the different reconstruction of mutations at highly recurrent sites. Branches display mutations with nucleotide positions according to the BRS (V00654); they are transitions unless a base is explicitly indicated for transversions. Haplogroups are in red and the original sample IDs are in green.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Bos taurus haplogroup distribution grouped in macro-geographic areas of Europe, North Africa, and Turkey compared to the HG as reported in the upper box (the map was retrieved from https://d-maps.com/, accessed on 11 November 2024).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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