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What color do you see?
DNA testing for coat color can tell you what to expect from your breeding stock before calves hit the ground. If your goal is to produce black beef cattle for breeding stock or more profit at the slaughterhouse, then you want to be sure your potential sires and dams are not red carriers. If Red and White Holstein cattle are your choice, then DNA testing for the red gene will help identify key Black and White Holsteins to include in your breeding program.
With so much potential profit riding on coat color, it makes sense to use GenMARK’s DNA Coat Color Test — it’s the surest way to predict progeny coat color. It’s 99 percent accurate, easy to use and affordable.
The test identifies the genotype of an animal as Homozygous Black (will only produce black calves) or Red Carrier (will produce black or red calves). GenMARK’s coat color test also identifies the “wild-type” genotype that is often associated with Red-Blacks in Holstein cattle.
DNA testing is simple — just pull hair roots or collect blood by following kit instructions or calling a licensed veterinarian. Accuracy of both tests is the same. Formal certificates are available upon request.
Results are available within 5 business days.
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Do you have carriers in your herd?
Any disease carriers cost you money and productivity. Now GenMARK offers a quick, inexpensive way to identify carriers of Bovine Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency (BLAD) or Citrullinemia in your herd.
BLAD, a genetic disease descending from elite Holstein sires such as Elton or Fatal, causes pneumonia, stunted growth, tooth loss, and a compromised immune system. Affected calves usually die within one year.
Though not as prevalent as BLAD, Citrullinemia in Holstein cattle can be costly. Citrullinemia is caused by a deficiency in the enzyme needed to break down ammonia in the blood. For Citrullinemia, affected calves usually die within five days of birth.
DNA testing is simple — just pull hair roots or collect blood by following kit instructions or calling a licensed veterinarian. Accuracy of both tests is the same. Formal certificates for each DNA-tested animal are available upon request.
Results are available within 5 business days.
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Which of your heifers will be most profitable?
Wouldn’t you like to predict which heifers will produce the most protein? Or the most fat? The answers — and even greater earnings — can be found with GenMARK genetic tests.
Three tests — Kappa-Casein, beta-Lactoglobulin, Alpha S1 Casein — will tell you not only about the milk your heifers will produce, but also the milk traits their offspring are likely to inherit.
Research shows that cows with the BB genotype for Kappa Casein produce higher volume and more protein than cows with the AB or AA genotype. Milk from BB cows is also more desirable for cheese production.
Cows with the B genotype for beta-Lactoglobulin, a major whey component of milk, are known to produce milk higher in fat and casein, components more desirable for cheese. Yet cows with the AA genotype for beta-Lactoglobulin demonstrate greater milk volume.
Alpha S1 Casein, another casein component of milk, has also shown to influence milk yield. Cows with the BB genotype for Alpha S1 Casein have higher milk yields than cows with the more rare BC genotype.
To test, just pull hair roots or collect blood by following kit instructions or calling a licensed veterinarian. Formal certificates are available upon request. GenMARK genetic tests are affordable and easy to administer.
Results of both tests are 99 percent accurate and available within 5 business days.
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Parentage testing determines whether a sire or dam qualifies as an individual's parent. DNA extracted from hair roots, blood or semen is analyzed with a battery of eleven standardized DNA microsatellite markers to produce a unique DNA Profile or "fingerprint." This Profile remains as a permanent record of the individual's genetic identity. Parentage analysis entails comparing the DNA Profiles of an individual with its assumed parents to detect any discrepancies that may cause one or more parents to be excluded. The level of accuracy for using this standardized set of DNA markers is greater than 99%.
Even though a sire or dam has had parentage confirmed previously based on Blood Typing, a DNA Profile is still needed to confirm parentage of future offspring. Unfortunately, blood typing data cannot be converted to DNA Profiles. Therefore hair roots, blood or semen must be submitted on key breeding stock to begin to build an archival database of DNA Profiles for future pedigree validation of the Piedmontese breed.
The DNA test for Myostatin identifies the point of mutation that renders the myostatin gene inactive and causes the "double-muscling" phenotype of Piedmontese cattle. Full-blood Piedmontese cattle have two copies of the inactive myostatin gene and are often referred to as "Two Copy" individuals. Animals that have only one copy of inactive myostatin look normal but produce meatier carcasses with less fat than individuals with the normal myostatin gene.
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A freemartin, defined as the infertile female partner born twin to a male, develops as a result of fusion between male and female placental membranes during gestation. The condition is mainly associated with ruminants, primarily cattle. With the joining of the placental membranes, the fluids of the two fetuses become mixed, allowing for an exchange of proteins (antigens), hormones and blood. The exchange of male and female body fluid components, particularly hormonal exchange, can affect the reproductive development of the fetus. Male fetuses may have reduced fertility, while the female fetus may be completely infertile. Because the majority of female heifers born twin to a male are sterile, freemartinism is considered to be one of the most severe forms of sexual abnormality in cattle.
A freemartin can be diagnosed either by physical examination of the reproductive tract or by chromosomal analysis, where the male Y-chromosome is identified in a proportion of circulating white blood cells. Genetic testing for the Y-chromosome can be performed within days of birth and can aid in the early identification of sterile female cattle. GenMARK (Vita-Tech Laboratories LLC) offers a molecular-based test that uses the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology to amplify two distinct bovine sex-specific DNA sequences from whole blood.
Test Description:
The procedure involves nucleic acid extraction, amplification of two distinct bovine sex-specific genetic sequences using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and product detection. The PCR assay is highly specific and sensitive.
A positive test result indicates that Y-chromosome-specific genes have been successfully amplified from the sample, and identifies the calf as a freemartin.
A negative test result indicates that DNA, specific to the Y-chromosome, has not been amplified from the sample.
Test Code: 700
Specimen: 1-2 ml EDTA whole blood (lavender top tube)
Storage: Keep cool, ship on ice packs
Notes: The ability to isolate and prepare good quality nucleic acid decreases with increasing age of the clinical sample. Therefore, the PCR assay is most sensitive when nucleic acid is isolated from fresh samples.
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