Genetics map for bison
Genetics map for Bison, discover gene responsible for albinism. Albinism is an inherited condition in which leads to someone having a very light skin, hair, and eyes. the cause of this is because they have less melanin than usual in their body. The first article talks about how a rare white bison cafe was born in Southwest Wyoming in which the genes led to it having a white and light fur coat. The American bison had some amount of domestic cattle genes in their DNA however breeding and getting a white bison is still rare as in fact according to the National Bison Association the birth of a white bison is one in 10-million occurrence.
The new possibilities that were discovered was that according to Dr. James, Derr who is a professor of veterinary pathobiology and genetics. By referencing genomes and using technology created genomes based on DNA from hybrids. The case was that the bison cow was a hybrid in which it was a perfect 50-50 split Between the two parents. But to determine the albinism you would need to know the gene that is responsible. so, looking at the sequence of DNA you would need to find the mutation that caused the albinism. The fact was that the mutation caused an important enzyme to cease a function which led to a lack of skin pigmentation. (Benson D) The question that I have is how does a hybrid such as a bison and a domestic cow have a albino calf? I know a big part of this is the pigments of the skin. mainly if the animal is born with an altered or a damaged TYR the animal could be albino.
Magazine, S. (2023b, May 30). Rare white bison born in Wyoming State Park. Smithsonian.com. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rare-white-bison-born-in-wyoming-state-park-180982262/
Benson, D. (2023, November 20). Texas A&M researchers develop comprehensive genetic map for Bison, discover gene responsible for albinism. Texas A&M Today. https://today.tamu.edu/2023/11/20/texas-am-researchers-map-bison-genome/
Staff, D. M. | K. (n.d.). 1 in 10 million: Rare white bison born at Bear River State Park. KECI. https://nbcmontana.com/news/offbeat/1-in-10-million-rare-white-bison-born-at-bear-river-state-park-bear-river-albino-indian-tribers-dna-gene-cattle-coloration
There is so much work going on in terms of bison conservation and I thought you might have an interest in some local work being done at the Cape May Zoo. While its not related to pigment, the research you shared is relevant in terms of breeding populations and making sure recessive traits don't become too prevalent.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.capemaycountynj.gov/1019/Conservation-Programs