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A Simple and Rapid PCR‐Based Method for Ostrich Sexing Using Micro Amounts of DNA
Author(s) -
Huang CW,
Huang MC
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
reproduction in domestic animals
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.546
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1439-0531
pISSN - 0936-6768
DOI - 10.1111/j.1439-0531.2007.00938.x
Subject(s) - sexing , feather , ethidium bromide , polymerase chain reaction , genomic dna , dna extraction , biology , agarose gel electrophoresis , dna , agarose , microbiology and biotechnology , str analysis , chromatography , microsatellite , chemistry , genetics , gene , zoology , allele
Contents The aim of the present study is to identify ostrich sex by using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on micro amounts of DNA from blood, bloodstain and feathers. Sixteen male and 18 female ostriches were used as test individuals. Genomic DNA as a template was extracted by the Chelex method. Ostrsex‐P1 and P2 primers were designed to perform PCR amplification on the template. PCR products were checked using agarose gel electrophoresis with ethidium bromide staining and ostrich sex was determined directly by the bands shown on the gel. The results demonstrate that ostrich sex can be determined by the extraction of DNA from as little as 0.0125 μ l blood using Chelex, whereby the use of large amounts of organic solvents such as phenol and chloroform are unnecessary. In addition, it is possible to identify ostrich sex using micro amounts of DNA extracted from bloodstains and/or feathers. The use of feathers particularly avoids unwanted sampling problems such as the difficulty of collecting ostrich blood, the stress to the ostrich caused by bleeding, and the demand for a lot of manpower for ostrich restraint.