Genetic Profiling of Equid Hybrids Using PCR-RFLP and Partial Sequence Analysis of Cytochrome b Gene: Forensic Implication

Detection of meat from horse, donkey and their hybrids (mule/hinny) by duplex real-time fluorescent PCR

Meat adulteration is currently a common practice worldwide. In China, adulteration of donkey meat products with the similar species (horse and mule/hinny) meat and mislabeling are becoming widespread concerns. In this study, a sensitive and species-specific duplex real-time PCR assay based on the simultaneous amplification of fragments of the creatine kinase muscle gene family, was developed and optimized for the identification of horse, donkey and mule /hinny species in raw and heat-processed meat products. Duplex real-time PCR results showed different fluorescence amplification curves for horse and donkey. Both kinds of fluorescence amplification curves appeared simultaneously for mule/hinny. The limit of detection (LOD) of the method was up to 0.01 ng /μL. The method and strategy developed in this study could be applied to detect the presence of adulterants from horse and mule /hinny meat in raw donkey meat and meat products.

Leptin Receptor Gene Polymorphisms in Some Turkish Donkey Populations

Leptin receptor is a fundamental regulator in physiological functions of the regulation of food intake, energy homeostasis, immune function, and reproduction as well as on ovarian follicular cells on the placenta and lactating mammary glands. The aim of this study was to investigate the LEPR gene polymorphism in 60 donkeys reared in Thrace region of Turkey. A 585 bp long partial intron 6, exon 7, intron 7, and exon 8 regions of LEPR gene were amplified, and polymerase chain reaction products analyzed via DNA sequencing. A novel single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was identified as g.713668A>G in the seventh exon region of LEPR gene. This novel SNP was first identified, and the partial DNA sequence of LEPR gene in donkeys was reported for the first time in this study, and these sequences were deposited to NCBI Genbank database with the accession number: MK807114-MK807115. The A>G transition revealed a silent mutation (CAA-CAG) in glutamine amino acid. This nucleotide mutation could cause the changes of secondary structure of protein and expression level of LEPR hormone. For this reason, additional studies are needed to reveal new SNPs and in the LEPR gene that may affect economic traits and structure of protein in donkey breeds.

The role of molecular genetics in livestock production

Genetic variations that lead to easy-to-identify phenotypic changes have always been of interest to livestock breeders since domestication. Molecular genetics has opened up possibilities for identifying these variations and understanding their biological and population effects. Moreover, molecular genetics is part of the most diverse approaches and applications in animal production nowadays, including paternity testing, selection based on genetic variants, diagnostic of genetic diseases, reproductive biotechniques, fraud identification, differentiation of hybrids, parasite identification, genetic evaluation, diversity studies, and genome editing, among others. Therefore, the objective of this review was to describe the different applications of molecular genetics in livestock production, contextualising them with examples and highlighting the importance of the study of these topics and their applications.