<p>Genetic diversity of four quail populations, including Korean quails (maroon quails), Peking white quails, Chinese yellow quails and Chinese black quails, were analyzed by microsatellite markers, aiming to provide scientific basis for new breeds of Chinese black quails for egg production as well as the assessment, protection and utilization of Chinese quail&rsquo;s genetic resources. The results showed that 48 alleles were detected by nine microsatellite markers in the four quail populations, with the mean of 5.33 alleles in each locus. The average effective number of alleles marked by the nine microsatellite markers in Chinese black quails, Peking white quails, Chinese yellow quails and maroon quails were 3.5338, 3.6135, 4.0312 and 3.6508 respectively. The average heterozygosity of the four quail populations were 0.6952, 0.7046, 0.7353 and 0.7096 respectively. The average polymorphic information content of nine microsatellite loci in four quail populations were 0.6204, 0.6587, 0.6942 and 0.6639 , respectively, all of which were greater than 0.5, indicating the four populations&rsquo; copious genetic diversity. In this study, the average genetic differentiation coefficient among populations was 0.0349, so the genetic variation among populations accounted for 3.49%, which demonstrated that genetic variation among populations was just a small proportion of the total population genetic variation, and there was little differentiation among the four populations. Cluster analysis indicated that Chinese black quails and Peking white quails were firstly clustered, and then Chinese yellow quails and maroon quails were clustered, and finally the two were clustered together.&nbsp;</p>


<p>Analysis of genetic diversity of four quails by microsatellite markers</p>


<div style="text-align:justify"><strong>Background:</strong> Chicken represents a valuable genetic resource and protein source, it remains a potential threat to human health as they serve as a reservoir for diseases and food borne pathogens. Diversification of the poultry production is one of the viable options to enhance the food production with less susceptibility to the threats from the emerging diseases and changing climatic conditions. Ducks are promising species suitable for the diversification and will be complimentary with an adaption potential from small to commercial farming. Majority of ducks in the country are desi type with a meagre proportion of improved duck strains.&nbsp; genetic characterization by developing duck specific microsatellite markers and designing suitable improvement program are required to be undertaken at the earliest. The microsatellite markers are extensively used for assessing genetic structure, diversity, and relationships. Information about genetic diversity of indigenous duck breeds is important to design effective improvement and conservation strategies. Therefore, the current studies aim at genetic characterization and evaluation of growth, production and reproduction traits of the crosses of local duck population besides undertaking a suitable duck improvement program.<br />
<br />
<strong>Methods:</strong>&nbsp;Spectrophotometric evaluation of DNA extraction,&nbsp; Electrophoretic evaluation of DNA extraction , microsatellite primers- Presently, a panel of 10 informative duck microsatellite markers were identified from database as reported by <a href="#alyethodi_2010">Alyethodi and Kumar (2010)</a> and <a href="#huang_2006">Huang <em>et al.,</em> (2006)</a> and used for the studies, Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) , Documentation of PCR products by Agarose Gel Electrophoresis, Metaphor agarose gel electrophoresis(MAGE)of microsatellites alleles, Determination of molecular size of microsatellite alleles and genotypes, Statistical analysis of population genetics data, Data on genotype of all experimental birds at ten microsatellites were compiled and analyzed using POPGENE<sup>&reg;</sup> 3.1 software (<a href="#yeh_1999">Yeh <em>et al</em>., 1999</a>) for their population genetics parameters.<br />
<br />
<strong>Results</strong>: The study was conducted at College of Veterinary Science, Assam Agricultural University, Khanapara, Guwahati, Assam, India.&nbsp; In this study, the genomic DNA was isolated and characterized microsatellite loci in crossbred&nbsp; duck (<em>Pati x White Pekin</em>). Ten&nbsp; microsatellites were used to detect polymorphisms in 50 cross bred ducks. A total of 28 nos of alleles were observed and all loci were polymorphic. The number of alleles ranged from 2 to 5 with an average of 2.6 &plusmn;0.08 per microsatellite locus. The observed and expected heterozygosity of these polymorphic makers ranged from 0.00 to 0.42 &nbsp;with an average number of 0.047 &nbsp;and 0.41 to 0.82 with an average number of 0.57, respectively. &nbsp;The Polymorphic markers consist of observed heterozygosities of loci were less than 0.50. The polymorphism information content (PIC) of 10 loci ranged from 0.32 to 0.78 with an average of 0.477. Microsatellite markers will be useful tool for constructing the genetic linkage map of the duck as well as comparative mapping with the chicken.&nbsp; &nbsp;</div>


<p>Characterization of Microsatellite Markers in Crossbred Ducks</p>


<p style="text-align: justify;">The present study was carried out in six indigenous ecotypes of two divisions of Karnataka to assess association of twenty microsatellite regions of thirteen chicken autosomes with age, body weight and egg weight at sexual maturity and Forty week egg production. The general molecular technique protocols were adopted wherever required in PCR, electrophoresis, &nbsp; &nbsp;gel staining &nbsp; and reading. &nbsp;The analysis revealed significant difference (p&lt;0.05) among genotypes combined across ecotypes for nineteen microsatellite loci for body weight at sexual maturity. The analysis revealed significant difference (P&lt;0.05) among genotypes combined across ecotypes for eighteen microsatellite loci for EWSM. The posthoc dunnet&rsquo;s test conducted in one of the microsatellite region ADL0020 genotypes after excluding genotypes with only one bird at 0.05 level of significance revealed that a particular genotype A was significantly different from two of the genotypes C and D, indicating the important role of the corresponding alleles of these genotypes in influencing the Body weight at sexual maturity. The validity of using thus identified markers or alleles need further authentication by research in other populations and further proof by expression studies.</p>


<p>Association between microsatellite regions and reproduction&nbsp;related traits in indigenous chicken ecotypes</p>


<div><strong>Background: </strong>Duck farming plays a significant role, next to chicken in the socio-economic uplift men of the rural farmers of North-East India. Pati duck is the most common duck breed in the Brahmaputra valley of Assam and the other common variety reared in North-East India is Chara-Chambeli, however it originatein Kerala. Genetic characterization plays a significant role for formulation of breeding strategies for improvement of any breed. Microsatellites are codominant in nature and are highly polymorphic. High level of allelic variation, co-dominant mode of inheritance and potential for automated analysis make them an excellent tool for genotyping, mapping and genetic characterization. Pati duck is the most common duck breed&nbsp; in the Brahmaputra valley of Assam and the other common variety reared in North-East India is Chara-Chambeli however its origin in Kerela. Therefore, the present investigation was carried out to characterize these two duck breeds using microsatellite markers to evaluate the genetic diversity in these two duck population.<br />
<br />
<strong>Methods:</strong> For the present study, Blood sample were collected from 50 Patiducks and 50 Chara-Chambeli ducks from different parts of North-East India. Assessment of genetic characterization of duck breeds of north-east region were carried out using 16 microsatellite markers and population genetics analysis were done by POPGENE software.<br />
<br />
<strong>Result:</strong> In the present study, all the studied loci were highly polymorphic. Analysis generated a total of 41 microsatellite alleles. The number of observed alleles (N<sub>a</sub>) with an overall mean of 1.93&plusmn;0.258. However, the effective number of alleles (N<sub>e</sub>) with a mean of 1.6933&plusmn;0.2712. The Shannon&rsquo;s information index was found to a mean value of 0.5685&plusmn;0.1693. The overall means for observed (H<sub>O</sub>) and expected (H<sub>e</sub>) heterozygosities were 0.2889&plusmn;0.2477 and 0.5289&plusmn;0.0853, respectively. The chi-square (&chi;<sup>2</sup>) test for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium revealed that all the loci are in within Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.</div>


<p>Genetic Characterization of Indigenous Duck of North-East Region using Microsatellite Markers</p>


<div>The present study was conducted to know the genetic diversity of three Saudi sheep populations; Naeimi (NM), Herri (H) and Najdi (NJ). Genomic DNA was extracted from 156 animals of sheep comprising 47 Naeimi, 47 Herri and 62 Najdi breeds using 18 microsatellite markers. A total of 212 alleles were generated with a mean value of 11.80 alleles per locus, with a range of observed and expected heterozygosity of 0.505 to 0.875 and 0.595 to 0.854, respectively. Eleven of the microsatellites loci studied in NM, three loci in H and fifteen loci in NJ were observed to be deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The fixation genetic indices (Fst) among the three sheep populations were very low, ranging from 0.017 (between NJ and H) to 0.033 (between NJ and NM), indicating low population differentiation among the three sheep populations studied. The present study showed that the microsatellite markers are powerful tool in determining genetic diversity among sheep populations.</div>


<div>Genetic variability of sheep populations of Saudi Arabia using microsatellite markers</div>


<div>Twelve microsatellite loci were selected from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to examine the genetic structure and relationship between microsatellite DNA and body traits including height, back height, body length, chest width, chest depth, head Length, Ear area, and forehead width. Twelve microsatellite loci analyzed were polymorphic in Landrace, Duroc and Henan Western Black Pigs. The total number of alleles found for the twelve microsatellite loci amounted to 150.The average expected heterozygositie ranged from 0.1287 to 0.8301 among twelve loci, and the average polymorphic information content ranged from 0.1168 to 0.7894. The results of cluster analysis showed that the genetic distance between Henan Western Black Pigs and Duroc was least 0.1414. Microsatellite loci of SW72 were significantly associated with back height and chest depth (P&lt;0.05), while SO002 were significantly associated with chest depth and head Length (P&lt;0.05). Finally, the results showed that Henan Western Black Pigs has a high level of genetic polymorphism and genetic differentiation. Cluster analysis shows that the relationship between Black Pigs and Duroc is closer. These were significantly associated with body traits in five microsatellite loci, including SW72, SO002, SW632, SO090 and SW1828 (P&lt;0.05). These results provided scientific reference for the further cultivation and utilization of black pigs.&nbsp;</div>


<div>Microsatellite DNA Markers and Their Correlation with Body Traits in Landrace, Duroc and Henan Western Black Pigs&nbsp;</div>


<div style="text-align: justify;">Cattle are the main source of meat in Chongqing. This study investigated the genetic diversity of cattle native to Chongqing and 4 introduced breeds. A total of 96 individuals from 5 breeds were genotyped using six microsatellite markers. Five markers were highly polymorphic within the breed populations, and one marker had moderate levels of polymorphism. Heterozygosity ranged from 0.5379&plusmn;0.0434 in Simmental to 0.6667&plusmn;0.0559 in Charolais. The heterozygosity deficit was significant in all populations analyzed compared with the expected level of heterozygosity. In addition, two microsatellite markers (TGLA53 and OarFCB20) deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium across populations (except in cattle native to Chongqing). The mean number of alleles ranged from 6.00&plusmn;2.37 in Angus to 7.17&plusmn;2.14 in Droughtmaster across six markers. The coefficient of inbreeding ranged from 0.0017 in Simmental and Droughtmaster to 0.0367 in Angus. Pairwise difference analyses revealed that Simmental and Droughtmaster were the most differentiated (FST= 0.06861) from each other, whereas cattle native to Chongqing and Charolais were the least differentiated (FST= 0.00557). In summary, this study showed that cattle native to Chongqing and 4 introduced breeds were genetically well protected in Chongqing, and information from this study would be helpful for guiding hybridization and genetic improvements in the future.</div>

Microsatellite marker-based estimation of the genetic diversity of cattle in Chongqing&nbsp;

<div><strong>Background: </strong>Mudhol Hound the popular dog breed of Karnataka State, India has a long historical association with wars, hunting, social bondage, guarding and recently with the Indian army as a part of army&rsquo;s sniffer dog squad. Despite its unique qualities, the number of animals is getting reduced gradually. Hence the present study was aimed at molecular characterization of the Mudhol Hound which will be useful in maintenance of diversity of the breed.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
<strong>Methods:</strong> In this study, 26 microsatellite markers were used for the characterization of Mudhol Hound dog. A total of 50 blood samples were screened. Microsatellite loci were analyzed by running the PCR products on 6.5 per cent polyacrylamide gels followed by silver staining. Genotyping was done based on the banding patterns.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
<strong>Result:</strong> A total of 221 alleles were observed from the 26 microsatellites. The number of alleles ranged from 5 (AHTk211) to 12 (INU055, PEZ12) with a mean of 8.5&plusmn;1.9442 alleles. The average H<sub>0</sub> and H<sub>e</sub> were 0.7685&plusmn;0.2122 and 0.8326&plusmn;0.0397, respectively. The percentage of polymorphic loci obtained was 100 as all the loci studied were found to be polymorphic having the PIC values more than 0.5. All the 26 loci showed significant deviation from Hardy - Weinberg equilibrium (P&lt;0.001).</div>


<p>Microsatellite DNA Polymorphism Studies in Mudhol Hound Dog Native of India</p>


<div style="text-align:justify">The diversity status of local goats of Karnataka was studied by using microsatellite marker analysis. The genomic DNA from unrelated local goats were PCR- amplified with a panel of 23 microsatellite markers. Microsatellite PCR products were multiplexed and run on capillary based genetic analyser and the raw data obtained was analysed. Totally 158 alleles were observed and the number of alleles ranged from three (ILSTS005 and OarJMP29) to 13 (RM088). The number of effective alleles ranged from 2.25 (ILSTS005) to 8.40 (RM088) in all the 23 loci studied. The mean observed heterozygosity (Ho) was 0.4698&plusmn;0.2214 [range 0 (ETH225) to 0.8462 (ILSTS034)] and the mean expected heterozygosity (He) was 0.7471&plusmn; 0.1098 [range 0.5656 (ILSTS005) to 0.9138 (SRCRSP 8)] indicating the heterogenous nature of the local goat population of Karnataka.&nbsp;</div>

<div style="text-align: justify;">Genetic characterization of local goats of Karnataka by microsatellite marker analysis*</div>

<div style="text-align: justify;">17 microsatellite markers were used in this study to analyze genetic diversity of Qinghai Bactrian camels, conduct association analysis between microsatellite markers and body size or other traits and seek for microsatellite markers related to body size measurement of Qinghai Bactrian camels, thus providing a reference for marker assisted selection of Qinghai Bactrian camels. Results indicated that 17 microsatellite markers totally detected 65 alleles, average number of alleles was 3.0524, average heterozygosity was 0.6205 and average polymorphic information content was 0.5813, showing high polymorphism among the Qinghai Bactrian camel population. Association analysis results indicated that 8 microsatellites&mdash;LCA82, CMS18, CMS36, CMS104, CVRL101, YWLL29, YWLL36 and YWLL44&mdash;exerted different influences on body weight and body size of Qinghai Bactrian camels, especially LCA82 marker had a significant influence on all body sizes of Qinghai Bactrian camels. Specifically speaking, body height of BB genetic type was significantly higher than that of AA genetic type, chest circumference of BB genetic type was higher than those of AA genetic type and BD genetic type, body length and body weight of BB genetic type were significantly higher than those of AC, BD and AA genetic types, and circumference of cannon bone of BD genetic type was significantly higher than that of AA genetic type. 8 markers&mdash;LCA82, CMS18, CMS36, CMS104, CVRL1010, YWLL29, YWLL36 and YWLL44&mdash;had significant influences on chest circumference and body weight of Qinghai Bactrian camels. Markers LCA82, CMS36 and YWLL44 had significant influences on their body height, and microsatellite markers LCA82, CMS36, CVRL101 and YWLL44 could exert influences on body length of Qinghai Bactrian camels.&nbsp;</div>

Analysis of genetic diversity of four quails by microsatellite markers

Characterization of Microsatellite Markers in Crossbred Ducks

Association between microsatellite regions and reproduction related traits in indigenous chicken ecotypes

Genetic Characterization of Indigenous Duck of North-East Region using Microsatellite Markers

Genetic variability of sheep populations of Saudi Arabia using microsatellite markers

Microsatellite DNA Markers and Their Correlation with Body Traits in Landrace, Duroc and Henan Western Black Pigs

Microsatellite marker-based estimation of the genetic diversity of cattle in Chongqing

Microsatellite DNA Polymorphism Studies in Mudhol Hound Dog Native of India

Genetic characterization of local goats of Karnataka by microsatellite marker analysis*

Association analysis between microsatellite marker polymorphism and body size trait of Qinghai Bactrian camels