HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Ron, M. Articles by Weller, J. I. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Ron, M. Articles by Weller, J. I.

Analysis of Vaginal Swabs for Paternity Testing and Marker-Assisted Selection in Cattle

M. Ron^*, R. Domochovsky^*, M. Golik^*, E. Seroussi^*, E. Ezra, C. Shturman and J. I. Weller^*

^* Institute of Animal Sciences, ARO, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel
Israel Cattle Breeders Association, Caesaria Industrial Park, Caesaria 38900, Israel

Corresponding author: J. I. Weller; e-mail:
weller{at}agri.huji.ac.il.

Blood is the standard source for DNA analysis, but requires venipuncture of cows by veterinarian and tedious and costly DNA extraction. A procedure was developed for sampling of vaginal cells from cows, establishing a cell lysis protocol using robotics, and applying fluorescent analysis of genetic markers. Two insemination technicians collected vaginal cells from 254 elite Israeli Holstein cows located in 152 herds using commercial Catch-All sample collection brushes. Cells were lysed in a 400-µl solution, and 5 µl was used as template for polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Sensitivity of the PCR was enhanced using only 1 µl of lysed cells. Eight markers of the International Society of Animal Genetics paternity panel were amplified in four separate PCR. ILSTS039, a marker for a quantitative trait loci on BTA14, was amplified in a separate reaction. Genotypes from one to nine genetic markers were obtained for 253 out of 254 samples, and 244 cows had genotypes for at least three markers (96%). Cows that did not inherit either paternal allele for at least two loci were considered not to be daughters of the sire listed. Fifteen cows met this criterion, for a paternity misidentification rate of 6.25%. The frequency of allele 225 of ILSTS039, which was associated with increased milk fat content, was 11.1% in the bull-dam population, similar to the 12% found in the cow population in Israel. The use of vaginal cells for genetic analysis is accurate, as demonstrated by replicated analysis and by comparison to individual and population analysis based on DNA derived from blood.

Key Words: genetic marker • DNA microsatellite • parentage exclusion • marker-assisted selection

This article has been cited by other articles:

				K. Sanders, J. Bennewitz, and E. Kalm Wrong and Missing Sire Information Affects Genetic Gain in the Angeln Dairy Cattle Population J Dairy Sci, January 1, 2006; 89(1): 315 - 321. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Ron, E. Feldmesser, M. Golik, I. Tager-Cohen, D. Kliger, V. Reiss, R. Domochovsky, O. Alus, E. Seroussi, E. Ezra, et al. A Complete Genome Scan of the Israeli Holstein Population for Quantitative Trait Loci by a Daughter Design J Dairy Sci, February 1, 2004; 87(2): 476 - 490. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]