title: Sexing European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), European brown hares (Lepus europaeus) and mountain hares (Lepus timidus) with ZFX and ZFY loci.
abstract: We describe a new method for the sex determination of tissue originating from Oryctolagus cuniculus (European rabbit), Lepus europaeus (European brown hare) and Lepus timidus (mountain hare) based on PCR-RFLP analysis of point mutations that differentiate the ZFX and ZFY gene sequences. Among several applications, this PCR-RFLP method could be used to investigate gender ratio and evaluate the population dynamics of these species using samples collected when sex cannot be identified.
authors.affiliation: DIPROVAL, Sezione di Allevamenti Zootecnici, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Bologna, Via Fratelli Rosselli 107, 42100 Reggio Emilia, Italy Centro di Ecologia Alpina, Viote del Monte Bondone, 38040 Trento, Italy Department of Botany and Zoology, Evolutionary Genomics Group, University of Stellenbosch, PB X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fontanesi
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tazzoli
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pecchioli
authors.forename: Heidi C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Hauffe
authors.forename: Terence J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Russo