All living things are defined by DNA. It is the blueprint for life because it codes for information on everything from nutrition to reproduction, respiration, and appearance. Biotechnology has been a revolution not only for humans but also for animals. Today, it is possible to predict disease or genetic disorder, establish parentage and predict phenotype in offspring. Such are the uses of equine DNA testing.
There are various why one would like their horse tested. One is to establish parentage before breeding. It is always very crucial to determine pedigree information scientifically before making any breeding decisions. Observation, manual identification and record keeping may not be adequate and are prone to errors.
During breeding, a breeder identifies animals with better performance, endurance or other characteristics that are desirable. It is only DNA technology that can ensure this is done accurately. It also helps determine whether a horse is at risk of developing a certain genetic disease and also to choose some phenotypic characteristics through constructing a genetic profile.
The globe is dotted with numerous animal genetic laboratories where these tests can be carried out. Searching for them online gives a list of several companies located around the world. Most of them have a list of instructions and guidelines on how to collect samples. After samples are collected, they may be sent to the genetic laboratory through the mail from anywhere across the globe.
The tests may vary in costs depending on the type and number of scheduled tests. Once the analysis is complete, the company will send a copy of the results to you. The results are in the form of a chart that the layman may find hard to understand. However, they will call to explain further what the results mean and the implications for the horse.
The collection of samples for testing is not a difficult process. Most tests will require hair from the mane or the tail. Other samples may include cells collected from inside the horses cheek by use of a soft cheek brush. Some other tests may require blood as sample. In such cases, 3ml whole blood is collected using a syringe and stored in an EDTA Vacutainer and labeled. After labeling, it may then be sent to the lab through regular mail.
Once inside the laboratory, the first step is to extract DNA. The hair follicle cells are used in the case of hair, and the cheek and blood cells are separated until the nucleus is obtained. Once extraction is complete, specialized genetic methods are used to produce a profile or genotype of the equine through the use of a standard twelve specific gene marker. From each marker, there are two alleles and one is from each parent.
DNA technology has become important in our lives and also that of other living beings on Earth. Breeders are able to determine parentage of a horse from the tests. However, the sire and the dam have to be registered prior to the test in order to match the genes of the foal.
There are various why one would like their horse tested. One is to establish parentage before breeding. It is always very crucial to determine pedigree information scientifically before making any breeding decisions. Observation, manual identification and record keeping may not be adequate and are prone to errors.
During breeding, a breeder identifies animals with better performance, endurance or other characteristics that are desirable. It is only DNA technology that can ensure this is done accurately. It also helps determine whether a horse is at risk of developing a certain genetic disease and also to choose some phenotypic characteristics through constructing a genetic profile.
The globe is dotted with numerous animal genetic laboratories where these tests can be carried out. Searching for them online gives a list of several companies located around the world. Most of them have a list of instructions and guidelines on how to collect samples. After samples are collected, they may be sent to the genetic laboratory through the mail from anywhere across the globe.
The tests may vary in costs depending on the type and number of scheduled tests. Once the analysis is complete, the company will send a copy of the results to you. The results are in the form of a chart that the layman may find hard to understand. However, they will call to explain further what the results mean and the implications for the horse.
The collection of samples for testing is not a difficult process. Most tests will require hair from the mane or the tail. Other samples may include cells collected from inside the horses cheek by use of a soft cheek brush. Some other tests may require blood as sample. In such cases, 3ml whole blood is collected using a syringe and stored in an EDTA Vacutainer and labeled. After labeling, it may then be sent to the lab through regular mail.
Once inside the laboratory, the first step is to extract DNA. The hair follicle cells are used in the case of hair, and the cheek and blood cells are separated until the nucleus is obtained. Once extraction is complete, specialized genetic methods are used to produce a profile or genotype of the equine through the use of a standard twelve specific gene marker. From each marker, there are two alleles and one is from each parent.
DNA technology has become important in our lives and also that of other living beings on Earth. Breeders are able to determine parentage of a horse from the tests. However, the sire and the dam have to be registered prior to the test in order to match the genes of the foal.
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