Animal Biotechnology

MOLECULAR GENETICS

• In livestock populations with a high degree of genetic variation, molecular markers are being increasingly used to study the distribution and patterns of genetic diversity.
• Global surveys indicate that 40% of domestic livestock breeds are at risk of extinction.
• Most of these breeds are found only in developing countries, and often little is known about them or their potential.
• Rapid progress is being made in the preparation of dense microsatellite linkage maps to assist in the search for genetic traits of economic importance.
• Molecular markers have been widely used in the identification of genotypes and the ‘genetic fingerprinting’ of organisms.
• Genotype verification is used intensively to determine the parentage of domestic animals and to trace livestock products in the food chain back to the farm and animal of origin.