Project Number: 6227-21310-009-98
Project Type: General Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: May 01, 2012
End Date: Apr 30, 2014

Objective:
The objective of this cooperative research project is to identify unique genetic markers related to internal parasitism of small ruminants.

Approach:
Blood, tissue, and fecal samples will be collected from select populations of small ruminants with known parasitism history and(or) expected progeny differences (EPD) for internal parasitism and growth traits. Genomic DNA will be purified from buffy coat or tissue samples and screened for single nucleotide polymorphisms in candidate genes. Genes will include cytochrome P450 3A family, and prolactin. In addition, plasma will be screened for unique microRNA populations. Identification of unique polymorphisms will be related to fecal egg counts (FEC), FEC EPDs, growth traits, and reproductive success using regression models and analysis of variance.