Prime_Time_summer_2019

DNA Matters Tim Kozelsky | DNA and Data Service Analyst | tkozelsky@akaushi.com AKAUSHI BREED GENET ICS H owdy all! Hope your spring/sum- mer workings are

moving along as planned. You guys are keeping us busy at the office with DNA submissions. We have processed almost

12,000 samples so far this year – up by more than 30 percent from last year. July, our busiest month, is yet to come! The conversion to SNPs stands at 90 per- cent. A few ranchers still have upgraded dams in the A4 program that do not have SNP profiles yet. Their offspring will be pro- cessed using both tests in order to complete their parentage. The STR-verification process is very time consuming due to the number of possible parents that must be evaluated in order to accurately determine parentage. Recently, a member contacted the office to see if the we provided leptin DNA testing. Leptin is a protein found in fat tissue that affects an animal’s appetite. The member had done some extensive research on the matter concerning normal crossbred beef cattle. Neogen does offer the leptin test with their Igenity ® rancher direct program. When I asked whether or not Neogen could offer the test to our members, the answer was not an easy yes or no. Neogen spent a couple of weeks researching this option before giving their response, which was ultimately not to recommend the test for Akaushi cattle. The reason was pretty straightforward when considering Akaushi and one of its pri- mary genetic benefits – abundant marbling. Since our breed is naturally predisposed to have higher fat levels, the leptin test would not be as useful in breed program selection as in other breeds, in particular Bos taurus - type cattle. There is not enough data to prove any benefits from measuring leptin levels in Akaushi. Since the test is quite expensive, Neogen would rather do the necessary re- search to confidently provide a meaningful

test rather than just sell a product to anyone who asks for it. This situation highlights the uniqueness of the Akaushi breed. There are other ge- netic products that Neogen offers that are not a good match for Akaushi because of the breed’s genetic heterosis, compared to other beef breeds. Contrary to common thought, many genetic tests are not simply testing to see whether or not a single gene is present. Most traits are results of combinations of several genes. In order for these tests to be accurate, they must be trained for a particu- lar breed. Accurate phenotypic data must be provided for a large group of animals and high-density genetic tests run on the same group of animals in order for the tests to be trained correctly. Obviously, the training is an expensive venture. Kaci Carrales and Loni Soefje will be at- tending the Beef Breed Council Forum that Neogen hosts annually. The forum educates beef cattle breed associations about new products that Neogen is developing as well as how to better utilize existing genetic prod- ucts. We are looking forward to what Neogen will be offering and how we can use their products to unlock the treasures in Akaushi genetics. Continued page 15

Akaushi Prime Time • Summer 2019

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