Genomic evidence of a single domestication origin for modern cattle
Domesticated cattle occur as humpless taurine and humped zebu, historically explained as two independent domestications in the Fertile Crescent and Indus Valley. We question the validity of this model using whole-genome analyses of cattle and their wild relatives, including extinct aurochs. Zebu derives from admixture between domesticated taurine cattle and Indian aurochs and has elevated genomic diversity from an ancient introgression of a gaur-like or banteng-like population into Indian aurochs. We identify selective introgression in zebu from both 238 Indian aurochs-derived genes enriched for environmental adaptation, and 283 taurine-derived genes enriched for domestication loci. We suggest this process was shaped by polygenic selection. Modern cattle diversity traces from a single domestication event, followed by migration, wild introgression, and selection.
Authors
- John L. Miraszek
- Patrick J. Wrinn
- Jared E. Decker (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5685-7343)
- Kefei Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2380-3805)
- Alan Cooper (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7738-7851)
- Graham Gower (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6197-3872)
- Yassine Souilmi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7543-4864)
- Jeremy F. Taylor (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6997-7245)
- Robert D. Schnabel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5018-7641)
- Holly Heiniger (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1319-1462)
- Simone Eliza Facioni Guimarães (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3704-8131)
- Harly J. Durbin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6400-368X)
- Edgar Andres Diaz Miranda (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6931-3767)
- Kieren J. Mitchell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3921-0262)
- Ayla L. van Loenen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6160-4903)
- Bastian Llamas
- Sergei Vasil'ev
- Nikoli D. Ovodov
Institutions
- Russian Academy of Sciences (RU)
- University of Arizona (US)
- Universidade Federal de Viçosa (BR)
- Czech Academy of Sciences (CZ)
- Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RU)
- Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography (RU)
- The University of Adelaide (AU)
- University of Missouri (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
- Published
- 2026-11-06
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.11.04.764331
- Primary Topic
- Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestock
- Type
- preprint
Funders
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
- National Institute of Food and Agriculture
- National Institute of Child Health and Human Development