Detecting horses that breed true for Tobiano coat color - 1484
- *Abstract
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Overview
Tobiano is a white spotting pattern in horses caused by a dominant gene, Tobiano (TO). This phenotye is quite popular among breeders. To reliably generate offspring with the tobiano pattern, breeders need a way to identify homozygous Tobiano horses. UK researchers have developed a precise and cost-effective method to identify horses that breed true for Tobiano.
Invention
Thevalue of a horse can increase with the presence of a white spotting pattern, or Tobiano spotting pattern. Because of this, horse breeders prefer to usebreeding stock that are homozygous for Tobiano since they will always transmit thisgene to their offspring. UK researchers have developed a method to identify Tobiano homozygotes by analyzing the horse's DNA for a chromosomal abnormality that results in the tobiano coat color--a large chromosomal inversion that impacts the function of the KIT gene. The PCR test for the ECA3 inversion is useful to breeders interested in finding breeding stock homozygous for Tobiano since they are phenotypically indistinguishable from carriers.
Applications
- horse breeding
Advantages
- fast, reliable, and cost effective method to identify horses homozygous for Tobiano
- can be performed on stored samples
Related Publications
Brooks SA et al. "A chromosome inversion near the KIT gene and the Tobiano spotting pattern in horses." Cytogenet Genome Res 2007; 119: 225-230
Development Stage: Diagnostic test in use
IP Status: U.S. Patent No. 8,101,354
- Country/Region
- USA
