title: Are DNA profiles breed-specific? A pilot study in pigs.
abstract: In this study, DNA fingerprints from 32 unrelated domestic pigs were analysed and screened for breed-specificity. Three breed groups were analysed: Chinese Meishan, Large White and a collection of other European breeds. Ninety-three distinct and variable bands were used to estimate genetic distances between the animals. Between the groups these individual genetic distances substantially exceeded those within a group. Linear discriminant analysis showed that the 23 most common DNA fragments revealed sufficient breed-specificity as to assign each pig correctly to its breed or breed group. These findings, although based on a small sample, indicate that selective use of minisatellite variation in pigs appears to be a valuable novel approach toward the development of breed DNA profiles and the resolution of breed relationships.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, University of Leicester, UK. est@le.ac.uk
authors.forename: E N
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Signer
authors.forename: Y E
authors.initials: YE
authors.lastname: Dubrova
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Jeffreys
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001947:Breeding; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D008297:Male; D010802:Phylogeny; D010865:Pilot Projects; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013552:Swine / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*