Abstract
Abstract The fur industry is one of the oldest and the most historically significant industries in Canada. The industry has used American mink (Neovison vison) as the major source of fur for decades because of their high-quality fur and wide range of colours. This project will seek to (1) create the first accurate whole-genome sequence assembly of mink using next-generation sequencing technology to help understanding the biology and evolution of the order Carnivora, (2) design a robust and informative SNP assay for genomics discovery in mink, (3) discover genome structure and signature of selection as well as identify new genetic variants explaining variation in economically important traits, and (4) identify the genetic relationships among these traits including feed efficiency, Aleutian disease resilience, fur quality, reproductive performance, growth rate and pelt size. One hundred mink DNA samples from the Canadian Centre for Fur Animal Research at Dalhousie Agriculture Campus (Truro, Nova Scotia), and one breeding population (Millbank Fur Farm Limited, Rockwood, Ontario) were sequenced using next-generation whole-genome sequencing with more than 30x coverage to create the first SNP assay for American mink. A DNA panel composed of these sequenced mink from five color-types were assembled to identify the most homozygous individual as the reference animal for whole-genome sequence assembly development. The phenotypic data and DNA samples from 3,323 animals were collected and will be genotyped using the customized assay. The ultimate objective is to develop new tools for implementation of marker assisted selection or genomic selection in mink breeding programs for development of superior, highly efficient, and healthy animals. This approach will help improve the overall performance of the North American mink industry, which is now in difficulty due to several economic factors such as the high price of feed, declining price of fur and prevalence of diseases.
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