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Development of specialized beef cattle breeding contributes to increase in beef production, which directly affects the countrys food security. Currently, increasing productivity of animals is the major trend of cattle breeding development, which in turn requires improvement of breeding. The effectiveness of breeding work depends on the assessment of genetic value of breeding animals. To control authenticity of animal origin is a prerequisite for conducting breeding work. One of the main directions of cattle breeding in Kalmykia is breeding of Kalmyk cattle. The aim of the research was to study genetic diversity of Kalmyk cattle populations using microsatellite analysis. The study was conducted in the Regional Research and Production Center for Reproduction of Kalmyk State University. 60 Kalmyk cattle from Plodovitoe agricultural production company in Maloderbetovsky district were studied. PCR analysis was performed by 9 microsatellite loci: BM1824, BM 2113, INRA023, SPS 115, TGLA 122, TGLA 126, TGLA 227, ETH 10, ETH 225. It was found that the average number of alleles was 10.1, while the number of alleles per locus varied from 7 (BM 1824, SPS 115, ETH 10) to 18 (TGLA 122). The loci with the largest range of alleles were BM 2113 (12), INRA 023 (12), TGLA 122 (18) and TGLA 227 (12). The most informative loci were INRA 023, TGLA 122 and TGLA 227. The level of observed heterozygosity varied from 0.67 (ETH 10) to 0.83 (SPS 115, TGLA 227, ETH 225), and expected heterozygosity - from 0.86 (BM 1824, SPS 115, ETH 10) to 0.92 (BM 2113, INRA 023, TGLA 227). Analysis of fixation index data showed that 8 loci had negative index (BM 1824 (-0.22), BM 2113 (-0.26), INRA 023 (-0.26), SPS 115 (-0.18), TGLA 122 (-0.12), TGLA 126 (-0.10), ETH 10 (-0.28), ETH 225 (-0.04) and 1 locus (TGLA 227) had positive index (1.0). The results of the analysis of microsatellite loci showed that level of genetic diversity in the studied herd of Kalmyk cattle is high.

Throughout history, humans have been attempting to develop the ornamental features of domestic animals in addition to their productive qualities. Many chicken breeds have developed tufts of elongated feathers that jut out from the sides and bottom of the beak, leading to the phenotype known as muffs and beard. It is an incomplete autosomal dominant phenotype determined by the Mb locus localised on chromosome GGA27. This project aimed to analyse the genetic diversity of chicken breeds using full genomic genotyping with the Chicken 60K BeadChip. A total of 53,313 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms were analysed. DNA was obtained from breeds with the muffs and beard as a marker phenotype: Faverolles (n = 20), Ukrainian Muffed (n = 18), Orloff (n = 20), Novopavlov White (n = 20), and Novopavlov Coloured (n = 15). The Russian White (n = 20) was selected as an alternative breed without the muffs and beard phenotype. The chickens are owned by the Centre of Collective Use “Genetic Collection of Rare and Endangered Breeds of Chickens” (St. Petersburg region, Pushkin), and are also included in the Core Shared Research Facility (CSRF) and/or Large­Scale Research Facility (LSRF). Multidimensional scaling revealed that the Novopavlov White and the Novopavlov Coloured populations formed a separate group. The Ukrainian Muffed and the Orloff have also been combined into a separate group. Based on cluster analysis, with the cross­validation error and the most probable number of clusters K = 4 taken into account, the Orloff was singled out as a separate group. The Ukrainian Muffed exhibited a notable similarity with the Orloff under the same conditions. At K = 5, the populations of the Novopavlov White and the Novopavlov Coloured diverged. Only at K = 6, a distinct and separate cluster was formed by the Ukrainian Muffed. The Russian White had the greatest number of short (1–2 Mb) homozygous regions. If the HOXB8 gene is located between 3.402 and 3.404 Mb on chromosome GGA27, homozygous regions are rarely found in the chickens with the muffs and beard phenotype. Scanning the chicken genome with the Chicken 60K BeadChip provided enough information about the genetic diversity of the chicken breeds for the peculiarities of the development of the ornamental muffs and beard phenotypes in them to be understood. For example, Phoenix bantams, whose tail feathers grow throughout their lives, require greater consideration of husbandry conditions.

Molecular genetic technologies are taking an increasing place in breeding work to improve existing breeds and populations of chickens, as well as in programs to preserve a valuable gene pool. Small local breeds are a source of valuable genes that can be used in breeding. The aim of this work was to obtain new knowledge about the structure of genomic DNA of six chicken populations using multilocus analysis with a labeled molecular probe (GTG)5. Multilocus analysis using labeled DNA probes provides working simultaneously with a large number of genetic loci and calculating population genetic parameters both within populations and between them. The data on use of the multilocus probe (GTG)5 in molecular hybridization reaction in six breeds and populations of chickens were analyzed. The results revealed a large genetic distance between Black-and-White Australorp and the Bald-necked chickens (D = 0.155). Bald-necked chickens are bred in isolation from other breeds to maintain the unique trait of naked necks. According to the criterion of average heterozygosity, the population of Bald-necked chickens surpassed the Yurlov Crowers and Black-and-White Australorps. Obviously, this is due to the intensive breeding work carried out in the last two populations, which reduces genetic diversity. Marker DNA fragments specific for individual breeds were identified. The effectiveness of multilocus analysis as a tool for identifying the features of genome organization in chicken breeds and populations was confirmed.

Hybridization has been and remains the main method of creating an initial genetic pool for breeding, from which the breeder selects new breeding lines, varieties, and hybrids that meet the criteria. Soy is an obligate autogamous crop, the forced hybridization of which largely depends on the skill and experience of the breeder. One of the problems of inter variety hybridization of soybeans is the identification of true hybrid plants and the elimination of "false" hybrids at the very beginning of the breeding process. Morphological differences between parental forms are not sufficient to control the heterozygosity of the first generation hybrids, since the number of such indicators is limited and many of them have a dominant manifestation. The advantage of protein and molecular markers is their polyallelicity and codominance. The aim of the research was to identify the parental forms of the soybean hybridization nursery and to identify codominantly inherited protein and DNA markers for their use in the recognition of heterozygous soybean hybrids. The studies used: SDS-PAGE electrophoresis of soybean seed storage proteins, PCR analysis of soybean DNA with 11 SSR markers. Parental lines with a specific composition of glycinins, storage proteins of soybean seeds, have been established. For 17 crossing schemes of the Victory soybean variety used as a mother form with different samples of the working collection, SSR markers were identified that are promising in the selection of F1 hybrids. The control of heterozygosity of hybrid lines on the basis of protein and DNA level markers will expand the possibilities of hybridization and will lead to the involvement of valuable traits and new useful combinations of genes in the created lines into domestic soybean breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to determine whether heterozygosity (assessed using microsatellite genotypes) was correlated with the body weight of heifers from birth to 18 months. The study was conducted on the heifers’ herd of the Taurian intra-breed type Southern meat cattle breed at Askaniiske State Research Enterprise (Ukraine, Kherson Region). During the study, we used ten microsatellite loci recommended by International Society for Animal Genetics (ISAG) TGLA227, BM2113, TGLA53, ETH10, SPS115, TGLA122, INRA023, BM1818, ETH3 and BM1824. The heifer’s body weight was measured at birth, at weaning, and at the age 8, 12, 15 and 18 months. Individual heterozygosity estimates (for each microsatellite loci separately) and microsatellite multilocus heterozygosity (for all used loci) estimates (MLH) were used in the analysis. ANOVA was used to determine the relationship of the dependent effects (body weight at different ages) to single locus heterozygosity using two classes: 0 (for homozygous individuals) and 1 (for heterozygous individuals). In addition, the following indicators were calculated for each genotype: the squared distances (d2) between the length of both alleles within the individual genotype for each microsatellite loci, as well as the mean squared distance (multilocus d2) between the lengths of both alleles within the individual genotype for ten microsatellite loci. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients were used to measure the association between d2 scores (for each microsatellite loci) and body weight at different ages. The influence of different grades of estimates of MLH and mean d2 classes was also assessed based on ANOVA. Heterozygosity at locus BM2113 was significantly (P < 0.01) associated with heifer’s body weight at the age of 15 months and heterozygosity at locus BM1818 was significantly (P < 0.05) associated with heifer’s body weight at the age of 8 months. Significant Spearman’s rank correlations (P < 0.01…0.05) were also observed between the body weight and d2 score for four microsatellite loci BM2113, SPS115, ETH3 and BM1824. Individual mean heterozygosity estimates for 10 microsatellite loci and mean d2 estimates were weakly associated with weight performance in Southern meat cattle breed heifers.

The results of the study of isozymes variability of Scots pine populations growing in the southern taiga and forest-steppe of Central Siberia are presented. For the analysis 16 polymorphic loci were used. Two age groups (adult trees and undergrowth) are compared for the main indicators of genetic variation. The greatest deficiency of heterozygotes and a statistically significant level of inbreeding was found in the progeny of a small isolated population most disturbed by cuttings from the vicinity of the city of Achinsk. This population was distinguished by the high genetic distance of Nei (1972) between compared generations of trees, comparable to the distances between geographically remote populations. In the majority of other population samples exposed to lower anthropogenic pressure, the average level of heterozygosity was noted, or the observed heterozygosity was higher than expected in two age groups of trees, and deviations from the equilibrium state were found for individual loci, which, as a rule, do not coincide in adult trees and sprouts. The results of the study show that the genetic structure of the populations of Scotch pine Pinus sylvestris L. is quite resistant to the average level of anthropogenic (recreational) load. But the greater negative effect of using forest is associated with an increased risk of loss of allelic diversity (in 3 populations from 8 to 10.0–14.5 %) and, accordingly, the adaptive genetic polymorphism of populations. The necessity of using more sensitive than allozyme markers of genetic polymorphism of species populations (DNA markers of the nuclear and, especially, of the cytoplasmic genomes) in order to detect more subtle disturbances and initial stages of negative processes for the resumption of the gene pool of the processes was noted.