Clinical and molecular study of the DMRT3_chr23:g.22999655C>A mutation in donkeys and mules

• Grant number: 19/15076-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2019
• End date: August 31, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Clinics and Surgery
• Principal Investigator: José Paes de Oliveira Filho
• Grantee: Amanda Manara Caceres
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Equidae have several types of gait patterns, among them are the marches picada and batida. The gene DMRT3 is responsible by control theses gait patterns and previous studies have showed the relationship between gait quality and DMRT3_chr23:g.22999655C>A mutation, with the association of the affected homozygous (AA) genotype with the picada gait (lateral gait) in horse (Equus caballus). The gait in mules be also classified as batida and picada and may be also associated with this mutation, as well as, by the important role of these animals in the Brazilian equine industry and agribusiness. Therefore, the goal of this study will be to standardize the RFLP (Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism) technique to detect DMRT3_chr23:g.22999655C>A mutation in mules. Initially, the restriction enzyme that cleaves the mutation will be determined in Silico. After the use of the enzyme, the genotypes obtained will be submitted to the Sanger sequencing, to confirm the three different genotypes, which will be used as controls of the RFLP genotyping reactions of 90 mules with different gait classifications. This RFLP standardization integrates a recent FAPESP grant to the research (in the contracting stage) granted to the person responsible for this IC project. At the end of this project, It is expected that IC student will dominate all the molecular biology techniques employed in the project and to verify the relation of the genotype (CC, CA, and AA) to the type of gait of mules.