Evolutionary processes and selective breeding have developed diverse arrays of local livestock populations adapted to specific natural and climatic conditions. Increased selection pressure and concentration on a few high-yielding breeds have led to the erosion of genetic resources worldwide. One of effective approaches to assessing genetic diversity is the study of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) polymorphism, which exhibits a high level of variability and is characterized by a lack of recombination, allowing the study of genetic relationships between breeds and the tracing of both ancient and relatively recent evolutionary events. The study of the evolution and demographic history of farm animal breeds is possible due to the involvement of historical and archaeological specimens in research. The aim of our work was to identify the most efficient way to investigate mitochondrial DNA extracted from archaeological samples, allowing the analysis of population genetic parameters. The study included samples dating from the late 13th–14th centuries, discovered during excavations of the central part of the medieval Kremlin within the boundaries of modern Yaroslavl. The methods of full-genome sequencing and Sanger sequencing of mtDNA fragments were used to study the maternal variability of cattle bred in the forest zone of the Russian Plain. A dendrogram based on genetic distances of the complete mitochondrial sequence using the neighbor-joining method revealed clustering of archaeological samples in groups of modern Yaroslavl and Kholmogory cattle, which may indicate common ancestors of all three populations. A detailed examination of some regions of the mitogenome revealed that the archaeological samples were successfully genotyped with sequences that slightly overlapped with each other. Therefore, a system for genotyping the hypervariable region of the D-loop using Sanger sequencing of the target fragment was developed. The analysis of nucleotide and haplotypic diversity revealed minimal values of these parameters in the group of archaeological samples. The constructed median haplotype network allowed to attribute the archaeological samples to haplogroup T3, the most widespread in European cattle breeds. The analysis of the obtained data allows us to assume that the studied archaeological specimens originated from individuals of the local group of cattle bred in the vicinity of medieval Yaroslavl in the 13th–14th centuries.

Relevance. Population genetic diversity studies shed light on the genetic composition of different breeds and can provide valuable information about the evolution of breeds and species. Among the numerous available molecular markers, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is widely used to study genetic diversity and analyze phylogenetic relationships in various breeds and populations of livestock. Cytochrome b (Cyt B) is an mtDNA gene that is widely used to determine phylogenetic relationships in domestic animals due to its sequence variability.The aim of the work is to develop a test system that makes it possible to obtain the complete sequence of the Cyt В gene for further assessment of the genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships of various breeds and populations of cattle.Methods. To develop the test system, DNA extracts obtained from archaeological samples of cattle dated the 13th–14th centuries were used (n = 10). To amplify the Cyt B (Cytochrome b) mtDNA gene of cattle, four pairs of primers were selected, overlapping each other, with a total length of 1189 bp. between positions 14480–15669 mtDNA.Results. Analysis of the phylogenetic tree showed that archaeological samples grouped with haplogroups T1, T2, T3 and T5. The median network allowed the archaeological samples to be confidently classified as Bos Taurus rather than Bos Indicus. As a result of the study, it was revealed that the power of analysis using the Cyt B sequence is not enough to separate haplogroups within taurine cattle, because the Сytochrome b sequence is more conserved compared to other regions of the mitochondrial genome. More polymorphic regions of the mitochondrial genome, such as the sequence of the D-loop, should be used to confidently identify haplogroup membership.

The leukemia virus causes persistent lymphocytosis in cattle, resulting to significant economic losses. There are genetic mechanisms of resistance to the development of the disease. It is important to monitor cattle herds for carriage of the leukemia virus and genotype animals to identify alleles associated with resistance to leukemia development.The aim of the work is to assess changes in allele frequencies of the BoLA-DRB3.2 locus in the blackand-white breed of cattle due to breeding work. Samples of biological material from modern animals of the black-and-white breed (BLWT_MOD, n = 10), as well as archival samples of animals used in breeding work in the late 70s — early 80s of the twentieth century (BLWT_OLD, n = 10) were studied. Based on the complete sequences of the 2nd exon, the allele polymorphism of the BoLA-DRB3.2 locus was determined. A decrease in allelic diversity was observed: 14 unique alleles were identified in the modern population, and 17 in the archived population. As a result of the breeding work in the modern population, the proportion of resistant alleles in the modern population increased by 33.33%, and the proportion of sensitive alleles by 50% compared to the archived one. The proportion of neutral alleles or alleles with unknown status in the modern population has decreased slightly (by 23.08%). The enrichment of the modern population of black-and-white cattle with alleles associated with sensitivity to leukemia may be associated both with their introduction into the gene pool as a result of crossbreeding with Holstein bulls, and with the breeding work aimed at increasing milk productivity. Significant economic losses as a result of low productive longevity of leukemia-sensitive animals require adjustment of the breeding work taking into account the allelic status.

Исследования полиморфизма в генe ESR1 представляют интерес в связи с ассоциацией с хозяйственно-полезными признаками свиней. Целью данной работы явилось исследование влияния полиморфизма гена ESR1 на изменчивость воспроизводительных качеств свиней пород крупная белая и ландрас. Studies of polymorphism in the ESR1 gene are of interest in connection with the association with economically useful traits of pigs. The purpose of this work was to study the effect of ESR1 gene polymorphism on the variability of the reproductive qualities of Large White and Landrace pigs.

A comparative study of the allele pool and the genetic structure of two Russian and one Belarusian populations of the wisent Bison bonasus against the representatives of the species of Bison bison and the genus Bos taurus was carried out. Russian populations were represented by samples of the Oka State Natural Biosphere Reserve (n = 42) and the Prioksko-Terrasny Nature Biosphere Reserve (n = 69), the Belarusian population was represented by samples of the Reserve “Belovezhskaya Pushcha” (n = 42), bison samples (n = 8) and cattle (n = 55) were used as an outgroup. The analysis of the mtDNA D-loop 630 bp fragment polymorphism for the presence of bison and cattle haplotypes, was performed. It was shown that there was a single haplotype for all wisent (Bison bonasus) which was different from the sequences of bison (Bison bison) and cattle. The analysis of population genetic parameters, calculated using 11 microsatellite markers, showed reduced diversity in wisent (Bison bonasus) groups compared to bison (Bison bison) and cattle. The largest number of monomorphic loci as well as the absence of private alleles were found in the group of Belarusian wisent. The analysis of the DJost pairwise genetic distances allowed us to establish clear genetic differentiation of the wisent from the outgroups. This fact was also confirmed by PCA analysis, carried out in the context of population identity and the analysis of population structure which demonstrated some proximity of bison (Bison bison) to wisent (Bison bonasus), which is due to their belonging to the same genus. The data obtained from this study showed differentiation between wisent (Bison bonasus) from bison (Bison bison) and cattle. It can be used in assessing the population genetic parameters of wisent, identifying and eliminating hybrid individuals. It also can be used in developing strategies and measures for the preservation and improvement of the wisent genetic resources.

Скорость генетического прогресса по низконаследуемым признакам воспроизводства у свиней может быть увеличена за счет интеграции в селекционные программы ДНК-маркеров, ассоциированных с локусами количественных признаков (QTL) репродуктивных качеств (маркерная селекция, marker-assisted selection, MAS).В представленной работе впервые получены результаты, указывающие на отсутствие значимого влияния гена IGF2 на фертильность свиноматок.Сопряженность генов ECR F18/FUT1, ESR и MUC4 с оценками племенной ценности по собственной продуктивности свиноматок оказалась значимой и подтверждала взаимосвязь генетических и физиологических механизмов формирования репродуктивных особенностей свиней.Целью настоящих исследований была оценка влияния ДНК-маркеров IGF2 (инсулиноподобный фактор роста 2), ECR F18/FUT1 (рецептор Escherichia coli F18), ESR (эстрогеновый рецептор) и MUC4 (муцин 4) на признаки фертильности свиноматок пород крупная белая и ландрас.Материалом служили данные первичного учета показателей воспроизводительных качеств по результатам первых трех опоросов свиноматок (Sus scrofa) пород крупная белая (n = 894) и ландрас (n = 513) в ООО «Селекционно-гибридный центр» (Воронежская обл.).Были проанализированы абсолютные значения и скорректированные фенотипические показатели, а также проведена оценка племенной ценности особей (Estimated Breeding Value, EBV) по следующим признакам: число рожденных поросят в гнезде за один опорос (TNB), число живорожденных поросят за один опорос (NBA), средняя масса поросенка в гнезде при рождении (BW), скорректированная масса поросенка в гнезде при рождении (BW adj ), молочность свиноматки (масса гнезда при отъеме на 21-е сут) (WW), скорректированная молочность свиноматки (скорректированная масса гнезда при отъеме на 21-е сут) (WW adj ).Геномную ДНК выделяли из проб ткани (ушной выщип) с использованием набора реагентов ДНК-Экстран-2 (ООО «НПФ Синтол», Россия).Были определены частоты встречаемости генотипов по анализируемым маркерам и выявлены их достоверные отклонения от состояния популяционного равновесия для животных крупной белой породы по гену IGF2 (p < 0,01) и породы ландрас по генам IGF2 (p < 0,01), ECR F18/FUT1 (p < 0,01) и MUC4 (p < 0,001).Значение коэффициента гомозиготности по Робертсону (Ca) было наибольшим для генотипов по генам IGF2 и ECR F18/FUT1, при этом для особей крупной белой породы показатель достигал соответственно 0,76 и 0,65 против 0,60 и 0,72 для породы ландрас.Коэффициенты наследуемости анализируемых признаков для двух пород варьировали в следующих пределах: TNB -0,165-0,179, NBA -0,100-0,155, BW -0,232-0,338, WW -0,010-0,115.На основе разработанных уравнений были определены значения племенной ценности свиней по методу BLUP AM.По маркеру IGF2 установлено достоверное влияние (p < 0,05) на показатели молочности свиноматок породы ландрас (PHE WW , PHE WWadj , EBV WW ), лучшими оказались особи с генотипами AA и AG.Генотип по маркеру ECR F18/FUT1 достоверно влиял (p < 0,05) на фенотип и племенную ценность свиней по числу рожденных поросят и по средней массе поросят при рождении.Свиноматки с генотипом AA характеризовались меньшим числом рождаемых поросят (на 8,0-8,5 %) и более высокой их средней массой при рождении (на 2,0-3,0 %).Выявлено достоверное влияние маркера ESR на TNB и NBA и на значения EBV для признака «средняя масса поросят при рождении» (p < 0,05).По признаку «средняя масса поросенка при рождении» лучшими показателями характеризовались свиноматки обеих пород с генотипом СС.Маркер MUC4 оказался значимыми фактором для признака «средняя масса поросят при рождении» для животных обеих пород (Fкритерий достоверен при p < 0,05).Свиноматки с генотипами СС и CG превосходили особей, гомозиготных по аллелю G. Таким образом, использование подходов маркерной селекции наряду с традиционными методами оценки генетического потенциала свиней позволит существенно повысить эффективность селекции по признакам фертильности.Ключевые слова:

The article presents the results of assessment of genetic diversity and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) in the re-source sheep population, originated from crossing of fast-growing (Katahdin) and slow growing (Romanov) breeds for QTL mapping and search for candidate genes associated with growth rate. The study was conducted on 88 sheep from the resource population, including two unrelated families that have been reared in the Moscow region since 2017. Each family consists of a Katahdin ram (founder), Romanov’s ewes (mothers), F1 hybrids, and two groups of backcrosses. All sheep were genotyped using a high-density DNA chip Illumina Ovine Infinium® HD SNP BeadChip (~ 600 thousand SNP markers). SNP markers were filtered in the PLINK v.1.90. PCA was performed in PLINK v.1.90 and visualized in R package ggplot2. The genetic diversity indices (Ho, uHe, Ar, FIS) were calculated in R package “diveRsity”. It was established that both crosses had higher level of genetic diversity in comparison with the mother breed. F1 hybrids were characterized by the highest level of observed heterozygosity (Ho = 0.409-0.407), while Ho ranged from 0.382 to 0.396 for the backcrosses, respectively. The expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.329 to 0.356 in the groups from the resource population. Allelic richness was high in all studied groups (more than 1.849). PCA showed that the mated parent breeds were highly differentiated, as it should be in successful establishment of the resource population. The phenotypic characteristic of the backcrosses on live weight and nine body measurements at 9, 42 and 90 days is given. The coefficients of variation were the highest by live weight (17.0-19.0%), body length (15.5-22.3%) and oblique body length (16.2% and 22.7%) at 90 days. The results are intermediate and create a geno-typic and phenotypic base to perform GWAS at the next stage of our study.

The article presents the results of assessment of genetic diversity and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) in the re-source sheep population, originated from crossing of fast-growing (Katahdin) and slow growing (Romanov) breeds for QTL mapping and search for candidate genes associated with growth rate. The study was conducted on 88 sheep from the resource population, including two unrelated families that have been reared in the Moscow region since 2017. Each family consists of a Katahdin ram (founder), Romanov’s ewes (mothers), F1 hybrids, and two groups of backcrosses. All sheep were genotyped using a high-density DNA chip Illumina Ovine Infinium® HD SNP BeadChip (~ 600 thousand SNP markers). SNP markers were filtered in the PLINK v.1.90. PCA was performed in PLINK v.1.90 and visualized in R package ggplot2. The genetic diversity indices (Ho, uHe, Ar, FIS) were calculated in R package “diveRsity”. It was established that both crosses had higher level of genetic diversity in comparison with the mother breed. F1 hybrids were characterized by the highest level of observed heterozygosity (Ho = 0.409-0.407), while Ho ranged from 0.382 to 0.396 for the backcrosses, respectively. The expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.329 to 0.356 in the groups from the resource population. Allelic richness was high in all studied groups (more than 1.849). PCA showed that the mated parent breeds were highly differentiated, as it should be in successful establishment of the resource population. The phenotypic characteristic of the backcrosses on live weight and nine body measurements at 9, 42 and 90 days is given. The coefficients of variation were the highest by live weight (17.0-19.0%), body length (15.5-22.3%) and oblique body length (16.2% and 22.7%) at 90 days. The results are intermediate and create a geno-typic and phenotypic base to perform GWAS at the next stage of our study.

Скорость генетического прогресса по низконаследуемым признакам воспроизводства у свиней может быть увеличена за счет интеграции в селекционные программы ДНК-маркеров, ассоциированных с локусами количественных признаков (QTL) репродуктивных качеств (маркерная селекция, marker-assisted selection, MAS).В представленной работе впервые получены результаты, указывающие на отсутствие значимого влияния гена IGF2 на фертильность свиноматок.Сопряженность генов ECR F18/FUT1, ESR и MUC4 с оценками племенной ценности по собственной продуктивности свиноматок оказалась значимой и подтверждала взаимосвязь генетических и физиологических механизмов формирования репродуктивных особенностей свиней.Целью настоящих исследований была оценка влияния ДНК-маркеров IGF2 (инсулиноподобный фактор роста 2), ECR F18/FUT1 (рецептор Escherichia coli F18), ESR (эстрогеновый рецептор) и MUC4 (муцин 4) на признаки фертильности свиноматок пород крупная белая и ландрас.Материалом служили данные первичного учета показателей воспроизводительных качеств по результатам первых трех опоросов свиноматок (Sus scrofa) пород крупная белая (n = 894) и ландрас (n = 513) в ООО «Селекционно-гибридный центр» (Воронежская обл.).Были проанализированы абсолютные значения и скорректированные фенотипические показатели, а также проведена оценка племенной ценности особей (Estimated Breeding Value, EBV) по следующим признакам: число рожденных поросят в гнезде за один опорос (TNB), число живорожденных поросят за один опорос (NBA), средняя масса поросенка в гнезде при рождении (BW), скорректированная масса поросенка в гнезде при рождении (BW adj ), молочность свиноматки (масса гнезда при отъеме на 21-е сут) (WW), скорректированная молочность свиноматки (скорректированная масса гнезда при отъеме на 21-е сут) (WW adj ).Геномную ДНК выделяли из проб ткани (ушной выщип) с использованием набора реагентов ДНК-Экстран-2 (ООО «НПФ Синтол», Россия).Были определены частоты встречаемости генотипов по анализируемым маркерам и выявлены их достоверные отклонения от состояния популяционного равновесия для животных крупной белой породы по гену IGF2 (p < 0,01) и породы ландрас по генам IGF2 (p < 0,01), ECR F18/FUT1 (p < 0,01) и MUC4 (p < 0,001).Значение коэффициента гомозиготности по Робертсону (Ca) было наибольшим для генотипов по генам IGF2 и ECR F18/FUT1, при этом для особей крупной белой породы показатель достигал соответственно 0,76 и 0,65 против 0,60 и 0,72 для породы ландрас.Коэффициенты наследуемости анализируемых признаков для двух пород варьировали в следующих пределах: TNB -0,165-0,179, NBA -0,100-0,155, BW -0,232-0,338, WW -0,010-0,115.На основе разработанных уравнений были определены значения племенной ценности свиней по методу BLUP AM.По маркеру IGF2 установлено достоверное влияние (p < 0,05) на показатели молочности свиноматок породы ландрас (PHE WW , PHE WWadj , EBV WW ), лучшими оказались особи с генотипами AA и AG.Генотип по маркеру ECR F18/FUT1 достоверно влиял (p < 0,05) на фенотип и племенную ценность свиней по числу рожденных поросят и по средней массе поросят при рождении.Свиноматки с генотипом AA характеризовались меньшим числом рождаемых поросят (на 8,0-8,5 %) и более высокой их средней массой при рождении (на 2,0-3,0 %).Выявлено достоверное влияние маркера ESR на TNB и NBA и на значения EBV для признака «средняя масса поросят при рождении» (p < 0,05).По признаку «средняя масса поросенка при рождении» лучшими показателями характеризовались свиноматки обеих пород с генотипом СС.Маркер MUC4 оказался значимыми фактором для признака «средняя масса поросят при рождении» для животных обеих пород (Fкритерий достоверен при p < 0,05).Свиноматки с генотипами СС и CG превосходили особей, гомозиготных по аллелю G. Таким образом, использование подходов маркерной селекции наряду с традиционными методами оценки генетического потенциала свиней позволит существенно повысить эффективность селекции по признакам фертильности.Ключевые слова:

Development of programs for marker-assisted selection has to be based on genetic polymorphisms, whose effect on the production traits and breeding values of animals is reliable and significant. Prospects for the use of genomic selection in pigs are associated with the development of low-density (LD) DNA arrays, which include the SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) selected by the results of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) with HD-panels. Genes of insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2), cholecystokinin receptor A (CCKAR) and melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) are of interest for inclusion in LD-panels. Numerous studies have shown a significant effect of these genes on feed conversion rate, growth rate, meat content, and fat deposition. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of complex genotypes for IGF2, CCKAR and MC4R on growth and carcass traits of the Landrace and Large White pigs raced in Russia. In total, 1262 animals, including Large White (n = 667) and Landrace pigs (n = 595) were studied. Pig phenotypes were determined for muscle depth (MD, mm), adjusted age at 100 kg (AGE100, day) and back fat thickness (BF, back fat) at three points: BF1 (at ribs 6-7, mm), BF2 (at rib 10, mm), BF3 (at 14 rib, mm). DNA was extracted from tissue samples (ear pluck) using a DNA-Extran-2 Kit (Sintol, Russia). Polymorphism of IGF2 was determined by real-time PCR. Causative SNPs in CCKAR and MC4R genes were defined by multiplex PCR with FLASH detection. The allele frequencies of DNA-markers were pA = 27.2 % and pA = 86.3 % for IGF2, pA = 0.6 % and pA = 21.1 % for CCKAR, pA = 54.1 % and 60.0 % for MC4R in Landrace and Large White pigs, respectively. The heritability coefficients (h2) were 0.204-0.242 for BF1, BF2, and BF3, 0.309 for MD, and 0.366 for AGE100. We developed an equation model for the pig's breeding traits and found the significant effects of fixed factors in the model (breed, sex, year of birth), including specific genotypes for the analyzed genes on the phenotypic variations (for IGF2 and MC4R on BF1, BF2 and BF3, P > 0.95), and estimated breeding values (EBV) for growth and carcass traits (for each of the three markers the ratio of additive genetic variation ranged from 0.5 to 7.6 %, P > 0.95-0.999). We identified the economically desired alleles for IGF2 (allele A) and MC4R (allele A) genes. Animals which carried the homozygous genotypes for the desired alleles (AA for both of IGF2 and MC4R genes) were characterized by the significantly better scores for analyzed traits, estimated by least squares method, comparing to the individuals which were homozygous for the alternative allele G. The additive compensating effect of genotypes’ combinations for IGF2 and MC4R on the pig growth traits was established. The animals with the highest number of the A alleles for IGF2 and MC4R had preferable characteristics for the back fat thickness comparing to animals with GG genotypes (for both DNA markers). The differences between groups of animals carrying in their genotypes from four to single copy of the

Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) are increasingly used in the investigation of the genetic architecture of the reproductive traits of pigs. Based on the results of these studies, 47 SNPs associated with the Total number born alive (NBA) of European breeds (Large White, Yorkshire, Landrace) were identified, which are presented in the PigQTLdb. The aim of this work is to develop a procedure for testing SNPs rs80867243 (SSC5), rs81379421 (SSC3), rs81236069 (SSC10) by PCR-RFLP and to evaluate their polymorphism in maternal pigs bred in the conditions of the Russian breeding industry. The research was carried out in pigs of Large White breed (n = 60) and Landrace (n = 63). SNP positions were determined from the last assembly of the pig genome (Sus scrofa 11.1) in the Ensembl database. The primers and restriction endonucleases for identification of SNP by PCR-RFLP were selected using Primer-BLAST and NEBcutter V2.0 programs, respectively. According to the results of molecular genetic studies, Landrace pigs are polymorphic in all investigated SNPs. The allele frequencies A and G for SNPs rs80867243, rs81379421 and rs81236069 were 0.81 and 0.19; 0.43 and 0.57; 0.21 and 0.79, respectively. In Large White pigs polymorphism was established for SNPs rs81379421 and rs81236069, the frequencies of alleles A and G were 0.07 and 0.93; 0.30 and 0.70, respectively. The methods of testing SNPs rs80867243, rs81379421 and rs81236069, which can be used in further studies on the pigs bred in breeding farms of the Russian Federation as well as in the study of associative connections of SNPs with reproductive traits are presented in the article.

Stress syndrome is a significant problem for pig producers. One of the genetic factors responsible for porcine stress-sensitivity is a mutation C→T resulted in R1958W amino acid substitution in the dystrophin (DMD) gene, which is localized on the X chromosome. Recent studies have shown the association of T allele with the appearance of stress syndrome in Landrace pigs. The aim of this work was study the effect of DMD gene polymorphism on the variability of growing capacity and carcass traits in Russian Landrace pigs. Polymorphism C→T in DMD gene was determined by pyrosequencing. Among 507 pigs, 76 (14.99%) were detected as heterozygous carriers of the mutant allele T, and 431 (85.01%) were homozygous for C allele. Productive traits of 9329 offspring of 66 boars (15 boars were the carriers of mutant T allele and 51 boars were the non-carriers) were analyzed using two-way cross-classification model with interaction. Variance analysis showed a statistically significant effect of the factor «DMD genotype of boar» on the traits variability in their offspring: body weight at the end of growing period (P < 0.05), the average daily gain from birth to the statement on the growing (P < 0.01), the average daily gain during growing period, the average daily gain for the entire period, the carcass meat content, the back fat thickness and muscle deeps (P < 0.001). The interaction between «DMD genotype of boar × offspring sex» had a significant effect on the variability of two traits: the back fat thickness and the carcass meat content (P < 0.05). Offspring of boars, which are the carriers of the mutant T allele, were characterized by lower back fat and higher carcass meat content comparing to non-carriers. Thus, pig breeding for productive traits can lead to the increase of the frequency of T allele of DMD gene, due to its positive associations with some productive traits. To avoid the T allele of DMD gene from breeding herds, the DNA diagnostics is necessary This work is carried out in the framework of the fundamental research (14:0600-2016-0005)

Creating specialized lines is one of the techniques of genetic improvement and conservation of breeds and populations of the honeybee.The aim of this study was a comparative assessment of the diversity and differentiation degree of A. m. caucasica lines based on morphometric analysis and microsatellites (MS).Material for this study was the worker bees of Gray Mountain Caucasian breed (lines I-V, n = 728) which were selected in five apiaries in the Greater Sochi of Krasnodar krai.Morphometric analysis included such measurements as the length of the proboscis (LP, mm), width of third tergite (W3T, mm) and cubital index (CI).Molecular genetic studies were based on seven MS loci (A024, A88, A113, AP043, HB-C16-05, HB-THE-03, HB-C16-01).The level of variation between families for morphometric parameters was determined by two-way hierarchical analysis of variance.Genetic differences between families for MS were estimated by paired comparison of F st values.F st matrix was used for PCA-analysis.To determine the quantitative estimation of variation between families within lines we calculated F st , R st (AMOVA).The degree of line's differentiation for morphometric characters was evaluated by calculating the Euclidean distances.The obtained values were used to construct a dendrogram of similarity by a single bond (single linkage) of the hierarchical clustering algorithm.The differentiation of lines for MS was based on calculating the values of Nei genetic distances.Similarity dendrogram was constructed using the method of UP-GMA.We performed summary statistic using the software STATISTICA, GenAlEx (v.6.5.1),PAST (v.3.03).Morphometric analysis showed the presence of significant differences between the lines for LP and W3T whereas there was no difference between the lines for CI.The greater heterogeneity concerning studied traits in the lines II and V was revealed, and on the contrary, there was more consolidation in the lines III and IV.Bees of line I differed significantly from the rest of the lines on both traits, but they were characterized by significant differences between families in LP.Analysis of MS profiles showed similar trends in assessing the level of intra-and interfamily variability.We observed an excess of heterozygotes in the line I (F is = 0.048),which can be considered as an indication of the high heterogeneity.Bees of this line were characterized by a minimal individual (F it = 0.052) and the maximal interfamily variability (F st = 0,124).Lines II-V were characterized by a deficiency of heterozygotes (F is = 0.062-0.128),a relatively higher individual variability (F it = 0.143-0.189)and lower values of interfamily variability comparing to line I (F st = 0.095-0.104).The lowest interfamily differences were observed in the lines III and IV (F st = 0.096 and 0.095, respectively).Analysis of the differentiation of the studied lines for morphometric characteristics and MS revealed differences in the structure of the family tree.The dendrogram based on MS data is a reflection of the geographical origin of these lines.The structure of the family tree, based on morphometric characters, does not reflect the geographic closeness (differences) of origin or similarities (differences) in the economically useful traits of studied lines.Thus, the results of our studies of the morphometric parameters and MS show similar trends in assessing intra-and interline variation, but there are differences in assessing differentiation of lines using two methods.In the future complex approach will allow to identify not only breeds of bees with high accuracy, but also smaller taxonomic units.It is hoped that the research results in general can be used in breeding work to restore the purity of the honeybee breeds.

Seven microsatellite loci were evaluated to compare the allele pool of Primorsky honeybee population (n = 90), which was introduced into the Novosibirsk region (south-western Siberia), with the populations of Middle Russian (n = 191, A.m. mellifera), Mountain Grey Caucasian (n =113, A.m. caucasica), Carniolan (n = 61, A.m. carnica) and Carpathian (n = 184, A.m. carpatica) races. The degree of genetic differentiation in Novosibirsk population using a variety of criteria (Fst, Rst (AMOVA), Nei genetic distances) was evaluated.