Introduction to Veterinary Genetics

The concepts of veterinary genetics are crucial to understanding and controlling many diseases and disorders in animals.  They are also crucial to enhancing animal production. Accessible and clearly presented, Introduction to Veterinary Genetics provides a succinct introduction to the aspects of genetics relevant to animal diseases and production. Now in its third edition, this is the only introductory level textbook on genetics that has been written specifically for veterinary and animal science students.

Coverage includes: basic genetics, molecular biology, genomics, cytogenetics, immunogenetics, population genetics, quantitative genetics, biotechnology, and the use of molecular tools in the control of inherited disorders. 

This book describes in detail how genetics is being applied to artificial selection in animal production.   It also covers the conservation of genetic diversity in both domesticated and wild animals.

New for the Third Edition:

• End-of-chapter summaries provide quick recaps.
• Covers new topics: epigenetics, genomics and bioinformatics.
• Thoroughly revised according to recent advances in genetics.

Introduction to Veterinary Genetics is still the only introductory genetics textbook for students of veterinary and animal science and will continue to be an indispensable reference tool for veterinary students and practitioners alike.

Contents

Preface

1 Basic genetics

• Chromosomes
• Meiosis and mitosis
• The biochemistry of inheritance
• What is a gene?
• Gene regulation
• Mutation
• Genes, alleles, and loci
• Simple or Mendelian inheritance
• Linkage
• Inactivation
• Types of DNA
• Further reading
• Appendix 1.1 Banded karyotypes of domestic species

2 Molecular biology

• Restriction enzymes
• Recombinant DNA and DNA cloning
• Complementary DNA
• DNA sequencing
• Polymerase chain reaction
• Southern analysis and related technologies
• DNA expression microarrays
• The detection of variation in base sequence
• Veterinary diagnosis
• Variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR), DNA fingerprints, and microsatellites
• Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)
• Copy number variation (CNV)
• Gene mapping
• Whole-genome sequence assembly
• Production of polypeptide from cloned DNA
• Transgenesis
• Antisense technology
• RNA interference
• Further reading

3 Single-gene disorders

• Inborn errors of metabolism
• Sex-limited inheritance
• Genetic heterogeneity of disease
• Type of gene action and type of disease
• Phenocopies
• A sample of single-gene disorders
• A revolution in mapping and identifying the causal mutation of single-gene disorders
• Further reading
• Appendix 3.1 A sample of single-gene traits that have been characterized at the molecular level

4 Chromosomal aberrations

• Abnormal chromosome number
• Abnormal chromosome structure
• Chromosomal aberrations in cancer
• Evolution of karyotypes
• Interspecific hybridization
• Freemartins
• Biological basis of sex
• Classification of intersex 116
• A sample of chromosomal aberrations
• Further reading
• Appendix 4.1 A sample of chromosomal aberrations in animals

5 Single genes in populations

• Gene and genotype frequencies
• Random mating
• The Hardy–Weinberg law
• Extensions to the Hardy–Weinberg law
• Selection and mutation
• Genetic drift and the founder effect
• Extending population genetics to more than one locus
• Further reading

6 Familial disorders not due to a single gene

• Liability and threshold
• The multifactorial model
• More than one threshold
• Some final points
• Further reading

7 Is it inherited?

• General evidence for a genetic aetiology
• The four types of simple, Mendelian inheritance
• Studying and analysing the data
• Further reading

8 Immunogenetics

• Antibodies
• Red-cell antigens
• The major histocompatibility complex (MHC)
• Further reading

9 Pharmacogenetics

• Genetic polymorphisms affecting drug metabolism
• Genetics and anaesthesia
• Warfarin resistance
• Multifactorial pharmacogenetics
• Further reading

10 Hosts, parasites, and pathogens

• Host–pathogen interactions
• Resistance in hosts
• Resistance in parasites and pathogens
• Control of parasites and pathogens
• Increasing the level of resistance in hosts
• Further reading

11 Single genes in animal breeding

• Coat colour
• Examples of coat-colour genes
• Carpet wool
• Prolificacy in sheep
• Polledness
• Muscular hypertrophy in cattle and sheep
• Dwarf poultry
• Genes for sexing chickens
• Pedigree checking
• Further reading

12 Relationship and inbreeding

• The inbreeding coefficient
• Relationship
• The inbreeding coefficient revisited
• A general expression for relationship and inbreeding
• The base population
• Inbreeding in populations
• Inbreeding depression
• Further reading

13 Quantitative variation

• Quantitative traits
• The performance of an individual animal
• The differences between animals
• Heritability
• Correlations between traits
• Quantitative trait loci (QTL)
• Further reading

14 Selection between populations

• Comparison between populations
• Genotype–environment interaction
• Further reading

15 Selection within populations

• Estimated breeding values and accuracy of selection
• Clues to a candidate’s breeding value for a trait
• Combining clues from more than one source
• Best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP)
• Correlated traits
• Selection for more than one trait
• The importance of inbreeding and genetic drift
• Sire-reference schemes
• Marker-assisted selection (MAS) and genome-wide selection (GWS)
• Further reading

16 Breed structure

• The traditional pyramid
• Closed-nucleus breeding schemes
• Open-nucleus breeding schemes
• Further reading

17 Crossing

• Regular crossing
• Crossing to produce a synthetic
• Grading-up
• Further reading

18 Selection and regular crossing

• Selection
• Selection and regular crossing
• Further reading

19 Biotechnology and the future

• Artificial insemination (AI)
• Multiple ovulation and embryo transfer (MOET)
• In vitro maturation (IVM) and in vitro fertilization (IVF) of ova
• Control of sex ratio
• Recombinant proteins
• Transgenesis
• Animal cloning
• Further reading

20 Conservation genetics

• Measurement of genetic diversity within populations
• Measurement of genetic diversity among populations
• Importance of genetic diversity
• Loss of genetic diversity
• Conservation of genetic diversity
• Further reading

21 Genetic and environmental control of inherited disorders

• Environmental control of inherited disorders
• Genetic control of single-gene disorders
• Gene therapy
• Genetic control of multifactorial disorders
• Genetic control – some final points
• Crossing: thinking outside the square
• Further reading

Glossary

Index

Author Information

Frank Nicholas is Emeritus Professor of Animal Genetics in the Faculty of Veterinary Science at the University ofSydney.  He has edited and co-authored several books about genetics and one about Charles Darwin, and he created and maintains Online Mendelian Inheritance of Animals (OMIA; omia.angis.org.au), a comparative knowledge-base of genetic disorders and other familial traits in non-laboratory animals.