Swine Bibliography Centre
|
Support that keeps you updated for FREE  |
Bulletin No. 17 - Winter 2003
Miscelleanous- No Category
Technical team of PIC Inc
The understanding of gene markers.
International Pig Topics, 2003, Volume 18, N?2, 7-9
What are gene markers? How can they be useful to the swine sector? The performance of an animal greatly depends on its genome and the identification of one or more genes of economic interest allows us, through genetic tests, to implement beneficial selection programs. This approach has largely been illustrated with the halothane gene which allowed to eliminate the stress gene from the female lines. Other traits can be subjected to marker assisted selection (MAS), such as lean production, disease resistance or litter size. Gene markers for disease resistance have already allowed to reduce the occurrence of edema disease caused by Escherichia coli F18 and represent a field of great interest. However, traits with lower levels of heritability respond to a minor extent to this approach (meat quality, reproduction). A list of commercially available genetic tests is provided.
