In this study a wide range of genetic markers (12 microsatellites, 7 blood-group loci, 10 blood-protein loci) and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) were used to assess genetic diversity in Polish Heavy horses. Three random samples were sequenced for 421 bp of the mitochondrial D-loop region, but no clear phylogenetic patterns were seen in mtDNA variation. Both heterozygosity and diversity levels are fairly high in Polish Heavy horses. In phylogenetic analysis the draught horses form a distinct cluster that pairs with the true pony breeds. Within this 'cold-blooded' group, the Polish Heavy Horse clusters most closely with the Posavina breed from Croatia and the Breton breed from France. From the standpoint of genetic conservation, the Polish Heavy Horse does not appear to be in jeopardy.
Severe combined immunodeficiency disease (SCID) is an autosomal recessive disease occurring in Arabian horses. A recent discovery of a five base pair deletion in the gene encoding DNA-PK catalytic subunit has led to a PCR based test to screen for carriers of this disease. It has been suggested that the origin of this mutation arose from a stallion that originated in Poland. For this reason the occurrence of the SCID allele was tested on a representative sample of Polish horses. None of the 271 horses tested were carriers for this mutated allele.
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