It is hard to believe that a hair with the root attached can reveal an animal’s feed efficiency, but that is the basis of a new genetic test.
Beef and dairy producers can collect hair, semen, blood or milk and submit samples to see if their animals carry a desirable form of the leptin gene.
“Leptin is associated with an animal’s potential for appetite and energy utilization,” said Merial Canada spokesperson Garth Elgie.
“It is a gene that was known in the past as the marbling gene.”
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Merial has commercialized and marketed original research that was done at the University of Saskatchewan. Its test kit includes bar coded vials to match samples to individual animals.
Hair follicles are recommended, with hair strands collected from the switch of the tail or point of withers, making sure the hair root bulb is attached. Results are returned within 10 business days of the sample’s arrival.
The test identifies the pair of leptin coding genes an animal has inherited from its parents. How the traits are paired determines the animal’s genotype. Merial identifies the pairs as L-tt, L-cc or L-ct.
L-tt animals have a greater potential to produce higher marbling scores in beef and achieve higher quality grades. L-cc animals are lean and slower to fatten.
Some animals have both genes. They are identified as L-ct and could be an average between the other two types.
Originally discovered in lab rats, the gene is also present in people and was called the obese gene because of its association with appetite and fat deposition.
