Search results for "goat"

Genetic variability of Girgentana goat breed using molecular markers

2014

Assessing genetic diversity of local breeds through the information provided by neutral molecular markers, allows determination of their extinction risk and to design strategies for their management and conservation. The aim of this work was to quantify the levels of genetic variability in Girgentana goat breed using microsatellite markers and genetic polymorphisms at the casein genes. A total of 264 individuals were genotyped for 20 microsatellites, selected as suggested by ISAG and FAO. Moreover, the same individuals were characterized for the casein loci (CSN1S1, CSN2, CSN1S2, and CSN3) using PCR and sequencing protocols. Several genetic diversity indexes were estimated. A total of 130 a…

Haplotypes of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in casein loci of Girgentana goats explain isoelectrofocusing results.

2006

Goat milk, cheese and yoghurt offer an alternative to cow milk products. In Sicily one of the important goat breeds reared is the Girgentana. Traditionally the milk from Girgentana goats was used for nourishment of infants and elderly. Recently, the Girgentana breed has been in decline. This of concern, as the Girgentana may carry unique milk protein genetic variants. If health benefits of Girgentana goat milk is proven, then increasing production from this population will be of great interest. The most abundant proteins in goat milk, as in other milks, are the caseins, αS1-, β-, αS2- and κ-casein, coded by the loci CSN1S1, CSN2, CSN1S2 and CSN3 respectively. In other goat breeds, the casei…

Italian Goat Consortium: a collaborative project to study the Italian caprine biodiversity.

2017

The Italian Goat Consortium (IGC), joined the effort of many Universities and Research Institutes, in a comprehensive study of the Italian goat population genetic makeup using a medium density (54K) SNPs chip. Currently IGC has genotyped more than 1,000 animals from more than 30 goat breeds and populations from all Italian geographical and agroecological areas of goat rearing. The aim of this work is to obtain a clear picture of the Italian caprine biodiversity, to reconstruct the ancestry, to disentangle the genetic background and to assess the relationships among and within the investigated breeds. To date, the IGC dataset includes about 50 million genotypes. The data were quality checked…

Molecular characterization of the Sicilian goat populations

2014

The Sicilian goats are characterized by a strong population admixture structure, caused by geographical location of the farms, influences of natural mating and traditional breeding systems where flock represents an important breeding unit. Nowadays, several local populations are reared in Sicily, some of which do not have a recognized defined genetic structure, having taken origin from several crosses between animals of different breeds/populations sharing the same environment. The aim of this work was to characterize the Sicilian autochthonous goat populations using microsatellite markers and genetic polymorphisms of casein genes

Genetic characterization of the Mascaruna goat, a Sicilian autochthonous population, using molecular markers

2013

The aim of this work was to characterize a Sicilian autochthonous goat population using microsatellite markers and genetic polymorphisms at the casein genes. In order to investigate the genetic structure of the Mascaruna goat, a total of 60 (20 Girgentana, 20 mixed populations, and 20 Mascaruna) individuals were analyzed, using a panel of 18 microsatellite markers. Moreover, the Mascaruna goats were genotyped at casein loci using several molecular techniques. Based on the genetic structure at casein genes, the Mascaruna goat was similar to most goat breeds from the Mediterranean area, which are characterized by the predominance of strong alleles. The low value of genetic differentiation amo…

ANALYSIS OF MICROSATELLITE MARKERS IN SICILIAN GOATS BREED FOR TRACEABILITY OF GIRGENTANA TYPICAL DAIRY PRODUCTS

2013

The establishment of useful analytical methods able to ensure the origin of the products, including the breed used, are important in maintaining the reliability of these products in order to develop a market segment. Traceability, obtained by molecular analysis, could be a reliable proposal for the authentication and valorization of animal products. In Sicily, the three most important dairy goat breeds are Girgentana (GR), Maltese (ML) and Derivata di Siria (DS). The GR is an endangered autochthonous goat breed. Preservation of endangered breeds could be achieved by establishing economic reasons for their survival. The aim of this work was to verify the use of microsatellite markers to asse…

Use of microsatellite markers for genetic traceability of Girgentana dairy products

2015

Genetic traceability is based on the identification of both animals and their products through the study of DNA. With the goal of developing a genetic traceability system for dairy products, the aim of this study was to identify specific microsatellite markers able to discriminate among the most important Sicilian dairy goat breeds, in order to detect possible adulteration in Girgentana dairy products. A total of 20 microsatellite markers were analyzed on a total of 338 individual samples from Girgentana (GIR), Maltese (MAL) and Derivate di Siria (DdS) goat breeds. The first step was to identify breed specific microsatellite markers that can be used for the traceability of dairy products. A…

Genetic and protein polymorphism at CSN1S1 locus in two goat breeds.

2006

Genetic polymorphisms of casein have received a considerable research effort for many years because of its potential effect on milk composition. Milk composition, specifically protein content, differs quantitatively and qualitatively among species and also among breeds and individuals. Sicilian goat breeds seem to be an interesting model since they have never been under a selection program, and therefore may carry unique casein polymorphisms. Moreover, the importance of goat milk in infant diets is growing probably because goat milk in some cases is less allergenic than cow milk. It is important to evaluate the genetic polymorphisms at the CSN1S1 locus in the populations of interest, like t…

Casein haplotype variability in Sicilian dairy goat breeds

2008

In the Mediterranean region, goat milk production is an important economic activity. In the present study, 4 casein genes were genotyped in 5 Sicilian goat breeds to 1) identify casein haplotypes present in the Argentata dell'Etna, Girgentana, Messinese, Derivata di Siria, and Maltese goat breeds; and 2) describe the structure of the Sicilian goat breeds based on casein haplotypes and allele frequencies. In a sample of 540 dairy goats, 67 different haplotypes with frequency >or=0.01 and 27 with frequency >or=0.03 were observed. The most common CSN1S1-CSN2-CSN1S2-CSN3 haplotype for Derivata di Siria and Maltese was FCFB (0.17 and 0.22, respectively), whereas for Argentata dell'Etna, Girgenta…

APPLICATION OF MOLECULAR MARKERS FOR GENETIC TRACEABILITY OF SICILIAN AUTOCHTHONOUS BREEDS AND TYPICAL DAIRY PRODUCTS

In Sicilia, le razze bovine, ovine e caprine e le loro produzioni lattiero-casearie rappresentano una risorsa importante per l’economia del settore zootecnico. Alcuni di questi prodotti di origine animale sono “prodotti monorazza” e rappresentano elementi importanti per la conservazione e lo sviluppo di queste popolazioni, dei territori e delle tradizioni locali. Il processo di valorizzazione, autenticazione e tracciabilità delle produzioni lattiero-casearie richiede una conoscenza approfondita sulla struttura genetica delle razze, sulle caratteristiche morfologiche e attitudinali, sulla distribuzione geografica/ambiente di produzione e sulla diversità genetica entro e tra razze. Uno strume…