Caprine species
In this study, we compared the genome of the endangered desert-adapted Caprine species (C. nubiana) with that of the domesticated goat (C. hircus), which is of huge economic importance globally. We sought to gain insights into the roles of the copy number variation in the adaptations of the C. nubiana to the desert habitat at the genome-wide level. Over 1,500 loci were identified as potential CNV sites, many of which fully overlapped known protein-coding genes. From the analysis of the involved genes, we conclude that a major driver for the difference between the domestic goat and C. nubiana is the response to viral disease burdens as shown by a preponderance of genes that are involved in response to the viral infections among the CNV loci. Several other copy number variable genes involved in diverse biological processes such as signal transduction (olfactory receptor 52N4, olfactory receptor 1052-like), and metabolic processes (Hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase) among others detected in this study; however, their roles in C. nubiana evolution are less clear. This study is exploratory and provides a genome sequence data set to further our understanding of CNVs in caprine genome evolution.