Single-step genomic BLUP (ssGBLUP) effectively models small cattle populations: lessons from the Israeli-Holstein Herdbook.

Background: Routine genomic-estimated breeding values (gEBVs) are computed for the Israeli dairy cattle population by a two-step methodology in combination with the much larger Dutch population. Only sire genotypes are included. This work evaluated the contribution of cow genotypes obtained from the Israeli Holstein population to enhance gEBVs predictions via single-step genomic best-linear unbiased prediction (ssGBLUP).

Master-Key Regulators of Sex Determination in Fish and Other Vertebrates-A Review.

In vertebrates, mainly single genes with an allele ratio of 1:1 trigger sex-determination (SD), leading to initial equal sex-ratios. Such genes are designated master-key regulators (MKRs) and are frequently associated with DNA structural variations, such as copy-number variation and null-alleles. Most MKR knowledge comes from fish, especially cichlids, which serve as a genetic model for SD.

Absence of Gene Is Concordant with Femaleness in Cichlids Harboring the LG1 Sex-Determination System.

has been used as a reference genome for studies of tilapia sex determination (SD) revealing segregating genetic loci on linkage groups (LGs) 1, 3, and 23. The master key regulator genes (MKR) underlying the SD regions on LGs 3 and 23 have been already found. To identify the MKR in fish that segregate for the LG1 XX/XY SD-system, we applied short variant discovery within the sequence reads of the genomic libraries of the hybrid stock, and , which were aligned to a 3-Mbp-region of the genome.

Gene Variant of () Is Concordant with Female Determination in Cichlids.

fishes exhibit variability of sex-determination (SD) genes whose characterization contributes to understanding of the sex differentiation network, and to effective tilapia farming, which requires all-male culture. However, () is the only master-key regulator (MKR) of SD that has been mapped (XY/XX SD-system on LG23). In (), LG3 controls a WZ/ZZ SD-system that has recently been delimited to 9.