The
Genetic Rope is purely a visual aid showing the concept of microsatellite markers on the
DNA strand. Each knot represents a "gene".
Genes of relative closeness are called a "cluster". Using microsatellite technology, it is not
imperative that we know the exact location of a particular gene. It is the frequency of
the markers that are the sign posts that tell us we are on the right road. We can
deduce from the locations of markers what
traits we're dealing with. We may never find the exact location of the gene, but
knowing we're in the right neighborhood is enough to establish a genotype (genetic
profile) on a particular animal. The more markers we find with a high frequency of
occurrence, the more we are likely to be closing in on the actual gene. Even though
finding the gene itself for disease resistance, faster growth, etc. is ideal, it could
take weeks, months, or even years to find. With microsatellite technology,
we can genotype your animals within hours. You can then take this
information, apply it, and even if you increase your growth rates or decrease your
mortality rates a few percent, you ultimately increase your bottom line and that is really
what it's all about... the bottom line.
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