AAU working on genome mapping of buffaloes

Anand Agriculture University (AAU) has undertaken a project for genome mapping of buffaloes to identify the gene responsible for higher milk yield, fertility and disease resistance amongst the four indigenous breeds of Gujarat.

"We shall be identifying the Single Nicleotide Polymorphism (SNP) of all the four buffalo breeds in Gujarat like Jaffrabadi, Mehsani, Surti and Banni," AAU Animal Biotechnology department project in-charge C J Joshi told PTI.SNP -- changes in genes sequence that are associated with high milk production, disease resistance and better fertility -- of all the four will then be compared, he said. The project objective is to identify a bull that possess favourable gene for more milk, better health and reproduction, so that in future it could also be used for breeding purposes. "Using the results, the idea is to identify a bull that possess favourable gene for higher milk yield, better health and reproduction so that in future it can be used for breeding purposes," Joshi said.

 

Ten buffaloes shall be selected from each breed, thereby sequence information from 40 buffaloes will be compared to achieve the desired result as part of this ambitious project. Close to 400 genes are responsible for milk production alone," Joshi said. "Progressing ahead in our animal genome mapping, we have identified 64,212 Contigs (starches of DNA sequences) of Jaffrabadi buffalo, an age-old species in Gujarat," he said, adding they have been deposited with the National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). NCBI, is a gene bank for storing genome information. To facilitate genome mapping, state government, for the first time has set up a 'high throughput genome sequencer system', at the AAU. "This state-of-the-art system is open to scientists in India on cost to cost basis," Joshi said. The system is capable of shortening the time frame for generating the draft sequence, which in the case of human genome project took 14 years that too led by a consortium of several laboratories across the globe. AA U has also sequenced genome of bacteria -Acidithiobacillus isolated from the mines. It facilitates ore formation. The bacteria was isolated by Dr S R Dave, Department of Microbiology, Gujarat University. The bacteria is found surviving in acidous conditions, with no nutrient requirement of carbohydrates.