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.
Equines may be tested for several reasons including to determine who their parents are. This information is required for breeding purposes. Determining pedigree information through traditional methods such as observation, manual identification and record keeping is inaccurate and yields the unintended offspring. As a result, scientific methods are preferred.
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.
DNA can be tested in various genetic laboratories around the world. A simple search online reveals many companies. They have a set of sample collection procedures and guidelines that one may follow in order to extract the sample to be used for the test. After collection, the samples are sent to the laboratories through post service from anywhere around the world.
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 is not difficult at all. It all depends on the sample to be collected. Hair samples are the most preferred and are collected by plucking a few strands of the tail or the mane. Cheek cells can be obtained by gently brushing the insides of the cheek using a cheek brush. For blood samples, 3ml is drawn and transferred to an EDTA Vacutainer tube for mailing.
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.
As humans, DNA technology has become a very important aspect of our lives. Now, we can use it to improve other species on Earth. For horses, the technology enables pure breeding. It is also possible to predict whether a particular horse is likely to give offspring with certain genetic conditions and disorders. More importantly, breeders can rely on this technology to establish true and accurate parentage of a horse before breeding it.
Equines may be tested for several reasons including to determine who their parents are. This information is required for breeding purposes. Determining pedigree information through traditional methods such as observation, manual identification and record keeping is inaccurate and yields the unintended offspring. As a result, scientific methods are preferred.
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.
DNA can be tested in various genetic laboratories around the world. A simple search online reveals many companies. They have a set of sample collection procedures and guidelines that one may follow in order to extract the sample to be used for the test. After collection, the samples are sent to the laboratories through post service from anywhere around the world.
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 is not difficult at all. It all depends on the sample to be collected. Hair samples are the most preferred and are collected by plucking a few strands of the tail or the mane. Cheek cells can be obtained by gently brushing the insides of the cheek using a cheek brush. For blood samples, 3ml is drawn and transferred to an EDTA Vacutainer tube for mailing.
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.
As humans, DNA technology has become a very important aspect of our lives. Now, we can use it to improve other species on Earth. For horses, the technology enables pure breeding. It is also possible to predict whether a particular horse is likely to give offspring with certain genetic conditions and disorders. More importantly, breeders can rely on this technology to establish true and accurate parentage of a horse before breeding it.
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You can get a summary of the benefits you get when you use equine DNA testing services at http://www.etalondx.com right now.
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