Taking a trip to an unknown place can be an exciting adventure. But after taking wrong turns, getting lost on unfamiliar roads and asking for directions from passersby, sometimes you just wish you had a map.
In Paul Rodgers’ case, his wish came true. He just got a new map.
“It’s quite an accomplishment for science,” said Rodgers, the deputy director of the American Sheep Industry Association.
The accomplishment is a genetic map. The physical DNA map of 98 percent of the sheep genome was publicly released last month.
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An animal’s genome contains all its hereditary information, and is encoded in the DNA.
Rodgers called the map a new research and development tool.
“(The map) tells scientists … about where to go in the sheep genome to look for sequences that may affect specific traits or specific production problems, health issues,” he said.
The sheep industry is interested in the map because it will allow researchers to more quickly identify genetic markers contained in the sheep’s DNA, Rodgers said.
The more genetic markers researchers can identify, the more breeders will know about the traits their sheep’s offspring might have. The traits can include resistance or susceptibility to diseases, and also production traits like the texture of meat or wool.
Knowing more about the animals’ genetic make-up will have an economic impact for sheep breeders, Rodgers said. He pointed out that some sheep are more resistant to foot rot, a common disease that can make a sheep lame.
“If you could take a DNA test of your ewes and your rams and you mate the ones that are resistant to that disease, then you just saved yourself a lot of money,” he said.
Production traits like longevity, twinning, wool texture and animal size can also be predicted through identification of the DNA, said Jonathan Wort, general manager of the Ontario Sheep Marketing Agency.
“(The genetic marker is) very significant because what it does is allow us to make faster gains on a particular trait,” Wort said. “It allows you to be more specific in your selection process.”
The DNA map was worked on by the International Sheep Genomics Consortium, a partnership of scientists and funding agencies.
