DNA is the blueprint of all living things. It contains information that dictates how they breathe, eat, reproduce and look like. DNA technology has revolutionized how we do things. It enables one to determine parentage, predict the appearance of a phenotype or even a disease present in the parent population to the offspring. This technology is not only available for humans but also for animals such as horses. Equine DNA testing is used on horses.
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.
There are numerous laboratories where these tests can be done. A search on any of the search engines reveals quite a number. All you have to do is follow the instructions for collecting samples and collect them. After collection, you may send them to any of the laboratories through the mail and from almost all countries around 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 is now part and parcel of everyone of us. It has made our lives better on Earth. Now we can use it on animals during breeding to ensure that we yield high performing horses that are not prone to disease. Also, it is now possible to know the parentage of a horse before breeding and be 100% sure.
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.
There are numerous laboratories where these tests can be done. A search on any of the search engines reveals quite a number. All you have to do is follow the instructions for collecting samples and collect them. After collection, you may send them to any of the laboratories through the mail and from almost all countries around 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 is now part and parcel of everyone of us. It has made our lives better on Earth. Now we can use it on animals during breeding to ensure that we yield high performing horses that are not prone to disease. Also, it is now possible to know the parentage of a horse before breeding and be 100% sure.
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