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As the result of a population bottleneck, the present population of European bison shows a high level of inbreeding, and a significant loss of genetic variability. In studies on such specific species there is a need to apply methods that obtain as much information about the genome as possible in a short time. The aim of the study was to define a panel of SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) markers that could serve in genetic diversity analysis of European bison from two lines: Lowland (LB) and Lowland–Caucasian (LC). The study used 57 individuals from the LB line and 72 from the LC line. To identify well–performing SNPs in European bison, we used two microarrays with different markers densities: BovineSNP50 v2 BeadChip and BovineHD BeadChip. As a result of the adopted criteria, 1,421 and 22,122 markers, respectively, were selected. On the basis of statistical analysis (allele frequencies, Fisher’s exact test, and the Z–test), a panel of 1,536 informative SNP markers was ultimately selected for further study; 26 of these with private alleles for the LB line and 611 with private alleles for the LC line. The data obtained in this study could further enrich and support breeding programs in the context of relatedness between particular specimens and herds from captive breeding centres.

Contents: Wisent, or European bison (Bison bonasus), is listed as “vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and is therefore protected by international law. For the first time, a Wisent embryo has been obtained in vitro. This procedure creates a new opportunity to protect and increase Wisent reproductive potential and thereby opens new possibilities for the establishment of a controlled and broad reserve of the gene pool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]