Analysis of genetic diversity in Brazilian zebu breeds and their relationship with other taurine and zebu breeds through AFLP markers analysis

• Grant number: 08/10481-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research
• Start date until: January 20, 2009
• End date until: February 08, 2009
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Genetics and Improvement of Domestic Animals
• Principal Investigator: José Fernando Garcia
• Grantee: José Fernando Garcia
• Host Investigator: Paolo Ajmone Marsan
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Odontologia (FOA). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araçatuba. Araçatuba , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Piacenza, Italy

Abstract

The origin and evolution of the domestic cattle recently had been moved to the vanguard of scientific literature in consideration to their bridges with human history and strategic decisions regarding conservation of Genetic Resources. The DNA of modern and old Bos samples is being analyzed in order to reconstruct, in cooperation with the archeozoology, the main events and forces that had given form to the genetic diversity of today cattle. A series of questions still remains open, that we wait to be answered with the aid of the new technologies and the combined analysis of world-wide molecular and archeological data. In this context, Brazil represents important part of the history of recent human and animal movements, counting nowadays on the biggest bovine commercial herd of the world, locating itself as the largest in natura meat exporter. Although these facts, molecular genetic analyzes of zebu breeds (predominantly Nellore, Guzerá and Tabapuã, with herd size of about 140 million heads), still are incipient in comaparison to other breeds, allowing to locate them in the genetic map of the bovine breeds of the world. The present project intends to analyze and compare panels of genetic AFLP type markers (Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism) in distinct breeds of different parts of the world, with prominence to the particularitities of the breeds Nelore, Guzerá and Tabapuã, with intention to identify and characterize markers that could be useful for genetic improvement in these breeds. (AU)