Abstract
The current investigation was conducted to appraise the genetic diversity and genetic distance of three goat populations namely; Red Sokoto, Sahel and West African Dwarf (WAD), in Nigeria, making use of blood samples collected from 20, 20 and 20 individual from which blood DNAs were extraction, respectively. The DNAs extracted were used to study polymorphism at the ?-lactoglobulin gene locus using RLFP-PCR process. Results revealed that the mean total number of alleles was 1 while the effective number of alleles was also 1. The percentage of polymorphic locus was 0% while Shannon?s information index, observed homozygousity, expected heterozygosity, unbiased expected heterozygosity and inbreeding coefficient (F) were all observed to be 0.000. The pairwise Fst was 0.000 between all the breeds of goats. Variation within and between the populations of goats was 0% at p>0.05. The genetic distance between the goat breeds was 0.000. The present study revealed that RLFP-PCR may not be a powerful tool for the study of the ?-lactoglobulin gene locus and hence other methodologies should be employed for a broader judgment on the genetic status of the goat population at the locus.
Highlights
IntroductionIndigenous small ruminant breeds such as goats are playing key roles in the lives of people (Pollot and Wilson, 2009)
All over the world, indigenous small ruminant breeds such as goats are playing key roles in the lives of people (Pollot and Wilson, 2009)
The animals were sampled at two locations in Nigeria namely; Ibadan where the West African Dwarf goats were sampled, and the National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI), Shika, Zaria, Nigeria where the other three breeds were sampled
Summary
Indigenous small ruminant breeds such as goats are playing key roles in the lives of people (Pollot and Wilson, 2009). In most economically emergent countries Nigeria inclusive, no serious consideration is given to sheep and goat genetic assets management policies (Wilson, 1990). As a result of the inadequate national breeding programmes, animal genetic diversity records are inadequate in most developing countries (Guimarães et al, 2007; FAO 2008). The goat is a domesticated subspecies of the wild goat originating from Eastern Europe and southwest Asia (Hirst, 2008). It belongs to the lineage Bovidae and is very much interrelated to the sheep as they belong to the subfamily Caprinae. The different strains or bloodlines within the breeds have diverse established sizes. Most goats have two horns which come in various sizes and shapes being breed dependent
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
