Genotyping
Genotypes are a map of DNA
Genotypes show differences in the genetic makeup of individual sheep. Their DNA is mapped by finding the combination of single nucleotides that make up the DNA or the genome. The genome is the complete map of the individuals DNA. These single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) show the differences between your sheep across the genome. At each SNP there are two alleles, one from each parent, which indicate differences between sheep.
Who should I contact for genotyping?
Contact one of the following companies to get your animals genotyped;
| |
Parentage Only |
Parentage and
Genomic test |
Flock profile |
Marker tests |
| Concierge Genetics |
x |
x |
x |
x |
| GenomNZ |
x |
x |
x |
x |
| Intertek |
x
|
|
|
|
| NEOGEN |
x |
x |
x |
x |
| Weatherbys |
|
x |
x |
x |
| XytoVet |
x |
x |
x |
x |
Parentage
Allocates animals to their parents.
Genomic test
Included in Sheep Genetics evaluation for relevant breeds to produce Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBVs)*.
Flock profile
A test for commercial Merino breeders that provides a snapshot of your flocks average ASBV’s using samples from 20 animals from the current drop
Marker tests
Tests for poll/horn and other traits that are indicated by one or a few important loci**.
Contact details
Concierge Genetics
James Preuss
0408 392 888
info@conciergegenetics.com.au
GenomNZ
Rayna Anderson
+64 800 362 522
genomnz@agresearch.co.nz
Intertek
Tania Pfeiffer
0459 855 862
tania.pfeiffer@intertek.com
NEOGEN
Melanie Dowling,
07 37362134
naa-sheep@neogen.com
Weatherbys Scientific Australia
Bill Burgess
0424 004 622
bburgess@weatherbys.com.au
XYTOVET
Jason Ledger 0417 938 067
jason@xytovet.com.au
*Animals must already be in the Sheep Genetics database to receive genomically enhanced ASBVs
**Marker tests available are dependent on the breed of sheep being tested
MLA Genomics Database
MLA manage and maintain Australia’s Sheep industry Genomic database. This database includes;
- Genotypes from the Cooperative Research Centre for Sheep Industry Innovation (Sheep CRC).
- New genotypes submitted from Genotyping companies who signed an agreement with MLA.
MLA now own the intellectual property of Genotypes from the Sheep CRC and have a license to use new genotypes for parentage verification and analysis. MLA hold all genotypes in one industry database so we can;
- Include genotypes in the genetic evaluation for genomic relationships between animals.
- Have access to existing genotypes in the database to assign parentage.
This means that whichever company you use, we can use all of these genotypes together for parentage and our genetic evaluation.
Parentage assignment uses SNP information to allocate potential parents
We check potential parents to find who shares at least one allele at each loci. For example, we rule out the potential parents in the purple box because they do not share enough alleles as the animal we are testing.
Accurate sire and dam lists make parentage easier
To assign parents, all potential sires and all dams need to be genotyped. This assignment to parents rules out potential sires and dams that do not match the progeny. For this reason, it is important to submit accurate and complete sire and dam lists for the best results.
The genomic coverage matters
The parentage assignment can only use the lowest SNP coverage available in the potential candidates. If all offspring are genotyped with 1,200 SNPs but some potential parents are genotyped with old 170 SNP panels, then only 170 SNPs are used for the parentage test.
Genomics to get Australian Sheep Breeding values (ASBVs)
If you subscribe to Sheep Genetics, your genotyped animals can go into the Sheep Genetics evaluation for breeding values. We use these genotypes to estimate how related your animals are to the rest of the animals in the evaluation.
Relationships gives you information for breeding values
ASBVs estimates what genetics an animal will on average give to their offspring. Breeding values are estimated based on the traits recorded for an animal and it’s relatives. Therefore, if your animals are related to genotyped animals in our database, they will contribute information to your animals breeding values. If there is enough information to estimate an accurate the breeding value, it will be reported as an ASBV.
These relationships are important for traits that are hard or expensive to measure such as eating quality, traits measured in adults and disease traits.
Collecting more information adds value to the genotypes
Genotyping will help provide information but the best way to get a breeding value is by measuring your own sheep. For more information about how to get involved, contact Sheep Genetics.
Not all breeds are ready for Genotyping
We have more data from some breeds than others in our database. This means that the benefit of genotyping varies between breeds. We are working with the industry to include more breeds into the reference flock.
We recommend you can genotype if your breed is one of the following;
- White Suffolk
- Poll Dorset
- Merino
- Border Leicester
Contact Sheep Genetics if you want to discuss the suitability of your breed.
Flock profile test
Genotype 20 animals and get an idea of how your flock benchmarks to industry
Commercial Merino breeders can use a Flock Profile test. The test predicts your flock’s genetics compared to Sheep Genetics data.
How do I get a flock profile test?
Talk to one of the genomics companies that accept genotypes. You will need to genotype 20 random animals from your flock from the same year drop.
What do I get from a flock profile?
The flock profile gives you average breeding values for your flock for important traits. These numbers are the average estimate for your flock. They also reflect the genetic merit of your ram team used 5 to 7 years ago.
They also show you where your flock sits compared to other Merino flocks in the analysis.
Which traits are available?