Northern Bioidentification Service Ltd. has been offering genetic analysis services for animal management since its inception in 1995. Most of this work is based on a special class of genetic markers called microsatellites or Short Tandem Repeat DNA sequences. A limitation has been the availability of good marker sets. They are not always available from the published literature, and competitors often keep their own markers as trade secrets allowing them exclusive access to specific markets.
A special class of genetic markers, termed Microsatellites, are used in genetic analysis. These offer a number of specific advantages: they are present in only one copy in the genome; they are identifiable by the PCR reaction, making the sampling process quick and simple; they mutate rapidly and are, therefore, highly polymorphic and highly informative; and finally they can be analyzed using an automated genetic analyzer, which is available in the NBS Ltd. laboratory.
The objective of this study was to develop improved methods of producing microsatellite genetic markers used for pig genetic improvement. A good marker set will give NBS Ltd. a tremendous advantage in accessing the lucrative pig genetic management market, and a better service can be offered at a better profit owing to improvements in the markers themselves.
Specifically, the project seeks to develop trinucleotide repeats (units of three DNA bases) rather than the more common dinucleotide repeats. These are easier for the automated genotyping equipment at NBS to separate and distinguish. They also amplify more cleanly; dinucleotide repeats tend to produce artifactual “stutter peaks”, which make the data harder to interpret. These make the analysis easier and greatly reduce lab and analysis costs for routine genotyping work.