Length difference between equine ZFX and ZFY genes and its application for molecular sex determination.
OBJECTIVE
we analyzed the sex chromosome-encoding ZFX-ZFY genes and tested molecular sexing using the amplification patterns of intron 9 of ZFX-ZFY in the horse.


RESULTS
the amplification of the ZFX-ZFY produced two distinct patterns, reflecting sexual dimorphism based on a length difference between the X and Y chromosomes. The amplification products from foals showed two distinct bands: one was common to all foals and mares, indicating that this band was amplified from ZFX, while the other was specific to some foals, indicating that it was from ZFY. The result based on the PCR assay was identical to the results of amplification of the Y chromosome-specific SRY gene and those of investigations of the phenotypic gender in three different horse populations.


CONCLUSIONS
we suggest that this PCR strategy for determining sexes by comparing the amplification patterns of ZFX-ZFY genes is a convenient and precise method for discriminating sexes in horses.
Han
Sang-Hyun
SH
Educational Science Research Institute, Jeju National University, Jeju 690-756, South Korea.
Yang
Byoung-Chul
BC
Ko
Moon-Suck
MS
Oh
Hong-Shik
HS
Lee
Sung-Soo
SS
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D005260:Female; D006736:Horses / Q000235:genetics*; D051741:Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010641:Phenotype; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012732:Sex Determination Analysis; D014960:X Chromosome; D014998:Y Chromosome
D051741:Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors; C062076:zinc finger protein, X-linked
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