Near East mtDNA haplotype variants in Roman cattle from Augusta Raurica, Switzerland, and the Swiss Evolène breed

Typical Near East mitochondrial haplotypes of the T2 lineage were found in one cattlemetacarpus sample from the Roman period and in two present-day Evole`ne cattle inSwitzerland. Sequences from eight additional Evole`ne and four Raetian Grey aligned to theEuropean haplotype T3. Analysis of nucleotide diversity within the mitochondrial D-loop ofboth studied Swiss cattle breeds revealed high haplotype diversity and similar diversity to aEuropean cattle reference group. Mitochondrial T3 haplotypes radiated star-like from twosimilarly frequent haplotypes, possibly indicating two different expansion routes. The breedstructure of Evole`ne cattle can be explained either by an introduction of diverse femalelineages from the domestication centre or by later admixture. The introduction of the NearEast lineage to Switzerland must have happened during the Roman time or earlier.