In April 2009, after six years of work by more than three hundred researchers from twenty-five countries, Scientists were finally able to reveal the genome cow – the first mapping of the genetic composition of a mammalian livestock animal. This provided crucial information about the evolution and biology of cattle. As a result of this revelation cattle breeders are now able to screen and select cattle for specific features, such as the ability to produce high-quality milk or resist specific diseases.
According to researchers at the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Applications in Food and Agriculture, this research is expected to provide breeders and farmers with the opportunity to address the issue of achieving efficient and sustainable food production for a rapidly increasing human population.
“According to the Head of the Animal Production and Health (APH) section of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division, this study is the first of its kind in the world. It enables cattle breeders to select features, by looking at bovine genome; for example for better quality beef, more milk or disease tolerance/resistance. Further, understanding the genetic basis of the evolutionary success of ruminants will provide opportunities to address some crucial issues of the present time such as efficient and sustainable food production for a rapidly increasing human population.
“Nuclear techniques were used extensively in the study while the Technical Officers from APH contributed to data analysis and annotations. Radio active isotopes were used for labelling and characterizing the genetic information of the cow genome, a process known as radio labelling.
“Beneficial findings
“A study was conducted on the Sheko breed, a native to Ethiopia. This breed possesses the ability to resist trypanosomosis (a disease transmitted by the tsetse fly) and to achieve good productivity under difficult environmental conditions.
“Genome sequencing
“Genome sequencing helps scientists study biological processes and indentify key genetic characteristics in the animal or plant being examined. This is made possible by determining the order, or sequence of the structural units in a DNA molecule.
The Bovine Genome Sequencing Project sequenced the complete genome of a female Hereford cow, while the Bovine Hopmap Consortia described the genetic variation among different cattle varieties. The genetic variation was indicated by the major division between the humpless taurine cattle commonly found in Europe, Africa and East and West Asia and the Bos Indius cattle found in India, South and West Asia and East Africa.
“Researchers have used the complete sequence from a single Hereford cow and comparative genome sequences from six more breeds to look for single nucleotide polymorphisms or (SNP). This is determined by looking for variations in DNA molecules.
Their studies indicate that cattle have a diverse ancestral population that has undergone recent rapid decrease in effective population size, probably because of domestication, selection and development of breeds.
“Another excitement is generated from the Bovine Hapolotype Map. This offers the chance to select features that cattle breeders want in their cows, particularly high quality milk.
Recently, the only guarantee for best cow’s milk was by taking a bull, inseminating cows with his sperm, and then waiting for the female offspring to grow and produce calves and milk to feed them. Cattle breeders have begun mapping SNP in most of their bulls with an eye toward identifying which SNP are linked with various desirable qualities.”
