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Changes in the environment force populations of organisms to adapt to new conditions, either through phenotypic plasticity or through genetic or epigenetic changes. Signatures of selection, such as specific changes in the frequency of alleles and haplotypes, as well as the reduction or increase in genetic diversity, help to identify changes in the cattle genome in response to natural and artificial selection, as well as loci and genetic variants directly affecting adaptive and economically important traits. Advances in genetics and biotechnology enable a rapid transfer of unique genetic variants that have originated in local cattle breeds in the process of adaptation to local environments into the genomes of cosmopolitan high-performance breeds, in order to preserve their outstanding performance in new environments. It is also possible to use genomic selection approach to increase the frequency of already present adaptive alleles in cosmopolitan breeds. The review examines recent work on the origin and evolution of Turano-Mongolian cattle breeds, adaptation of Turano-Mongolian cattle to extreme environments, and summarizes available information on potential candidate genes for climate adaptation of Turano-Mongolian breeds, including cold resistance genes, immune response genes, and high-altitude adaptation genes. The authors conclude that the current literature data do not provide preference to one of the two possible scenarios of Turano-Mongolian breed origins: as a result of the domestication of a wild aurochs at East Asia or as a result of the migration of taurine proto-population from the Middle East. Turano-Mongolian breeds show a high degree of adaptation to extreme climatic conditions (cold, heat, lack of oxygen in the highlands) and parasites (mosquitoes, ticks, bacterial and viral infections). As a result of high-density genotyping and sequencing of genomes and transcriptomes, prospective candidate genes and genetic variants involved in adaptation to environmental factors have recently been identified., (Copyright © AUTHORS.)

Specific features of evolution of chromosomes in mammals and other amniotes are reviewed. Comparative analysis of chromosome architecture revealed nonrandom distribution of chromosome rearrangement sites in genome, probable role of chromosome rearrangement in adaptation, and evolution-mediated selection of conservative chromosome sites. The chromosome sites stable during evolution are saturated with genes contributing to early organism development. Ruptures of these sites are incompatible with organism survival. Further analysis of chromosome evolution requires more information about completely sequenced genomes.

When hybrid cells are created, not only nuclear genomes of parental cells unite but their cytoplasm as well. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is a convenient marker of cytoplasm allowing one to gain insight into the organization of hybrid cell cytoplasm. We analyzed the parental mtDNAs in hybrid cells resulting from fusion of Mus musculus embryonic stem (ES) cells with splenocytes and fetal fibroblasts of DD/c mice or with splenocytes of M. caroli. Identification of the parental mtDNAs in hybrid cells was based on polymorphism among the parental mtDNAs for certain restrictases. We found that intra- and inter-specific ES cell-splenocyte hybrid cells lost entirely or partially mtDNA derived from the somatic partner, whereas ES cell-fibroblast hybrids retained mtDNAs from both parents in similar ratios with a slight bias. The lost of the "somatic" mitochondria by Es-splenocyte hybrids implies non-random segregation of the parental mitochondria as supported by a computer simulation of genetic drift. In contrast, ES cell-fibroblast hybrids show bilateral random segregation of the parental mitochondria judging from analysis of mtDNA in single cells. Preferential segregation of "somatic" mitochondria does not depend on the differences in sequences of the parental mtDNAs but depends on replicative state of the parental cells.

Radiation mapping of nine genes (H3F3B, HLR1, MYL4, STAT5B, THRA1, TOP2A, MCP1, NF1, and MPO) to porcine chromosome 12 was carried out. Also, subchromosomal location of the NF1 gene along with the two loci containing the DNA sequences homologous to the DNA of the two human BAC clones was determined. The NF1 position was ascertained via microdissection of chromosome 12 with subsequent PCR amplification of the gene fragment with specific primers. BAC clones were mapped using FISH. Comparative analysis of the gene order in porcine chromosome 12 and in the homologous human chromosome 17 was performed. It was demonstrated that the gene orders in these chromosomes differed relative to the position of the MPO gene.

Using PCR analysis of pig-mink and pig-Chinese hamster hybrid cell lines and heterologous and homologous primers of various types, chromosomal and subchromosomal mapping of genes TOP2A, THRA, BRCA1, GAS, HLR1, MYL4, LIS1, MCP1, ENO3, CRYB1, P4HB, STAT5B, and H3F3B to pig chromosome 12 was carried out. The efficiency of using different types of heterologous primers for pig chromosome mapping was compared.

Using the hybrid cell lines pig-American mink, cow-American mink, and sheep-American mink, the localization of some genes included in a large conservative block localized on human chromosome (chr) 17 was performed by means of electrophoresis of proteins and Southern blot hybridization. Genes NF1, RARA, PRKCA, and ERBB2 were assigned to chr 12 in swine; TK1 and UMPH2, to chr 19 in cattle; and TK1, UMPH2, and PEPA, to chr 11 in sheep. The conserved synteny of these genes in three representatives of the order Artiodactyla was shown.