title: A PCR-RFLP assay for gender assignment in the three-toed sloths (Bradypus, Pilosa, Bradypodidae).
abstract: The three-toed sloths (Bradypus) are slow-moving arboreal neotropical mammals. Understanding demographic variables (such as sex ratio) of populations is a key for conservation purposes. Nevertheless, gender assignment of Bradypus is particularly challenging because of the lack of sexual dimorphism in infants and in adults, particularly B. torquatus, the most endangered of the three-toed sloths, in which sex is attributed by visual observation of the reproductively active males. Here, we standardized a method for sexing Bradypus individuals using PCR-RFLP of sex-linked genes ZFX/ZFY. This assay was validated with known-gender animals and proved accurate to assign gender on three Bradypus species.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Genética Animal (LGA), Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Centro de Ciências Humanas e Naturais, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Av. Fernando Ferrari, 514, Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil, 29075-910 Laboratório de Biologia Evolutiva e Conservação de Vertebrados (Labec), Departamento de Genética e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua do Matão. 277, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil, 05508-090.
authors.forename: Arturo B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Martinelli
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: DE Moraes-Barros
authors.forename: Clara S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Alvarenga
authors.forename: Paulo B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Chaves
authors.forename: Luiz A D
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: Valéria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Fagundes