bisc

 

Frequently asked questions

 

1. Can I compare my one breed sample with all recognised cattle breeds of India?

Ans. Yes, the Biscattle server database contains allelic data which is from eight domesticated cattle breeds, viz. Dangi, Gaolao, Gir, Kankrej, Kenkatha, Khillar, Malvi and Nimari from their respective breeding tracts distributed in western and central India. A total of 500 blood samples from unrelated animals with typical phenotypic characteristics known for a given breed were selected, working as standard reference data in computational analysis for breed prediction. 

2. If I have admixture, can I get quantified degree of admixture?

Ans. Yes, if your cattle query is with an unknown or a crossbred or breed with potentially different degree of admixture, you will get degree of admixture with quantified value in a pie chart.

3. From where can I get my cattle breeds genotype data (DNA data) for breed test using this server?

Ans. Your blood samples/carcass samples/biological samples can be sent to any lab with microsatellite genotyping facility or to any commercial vendors along with primer sequence given on the website or its link to get commercial service.  

4. What is the probability of getting wrongly predicted cattle breed?

Ans. The DNA based prediction gives very high accuracy and in our method, it  has been up to more than 95 %, however if the sample belongs to a new breed which has not been used in the training data, that may not give as high accuracy as mentioned. 

5. If genotype value for any locus is missing, then what would be done?

Ans. If genotype value for any locus is missing, one should put the value of zero on server while uploading the data. Such missing value of one or two locus usually do not compromise with accuracy of breed prediction. 

 

Glossary

Allele: Any of two or more genes/DNA sequences that have the same relative position on homologous chromosomes and are responsible for alternative characteristics
Breed: A group of organisms having common ancestors and certain distinguishable characteristics
Distribution: An order or pattern formed by the tendency of a sufficiently large number of observations to group themselves around a central value.
DNA marker: Alleles of DNA polymorphisms, used as experimental tags to keep track of an individual, a tissue, a cell, a nucleus, a chromosome, or a gene. Stated another way, any character that acts as a signpost or signal of the presence OR location of a gene OR heredity characteristic in an individual of a population
Genotype: The actual alleles present in an individual; the genetic makeup of an organism.
Locus: The position on a chromosome of a gene or a particular segment of DNA (marker).
Microsatellite: Tandem repeats of short simple DNA sequence, generally of 1-6 bases.
Parameters: Parameters are used to identify a characteristic, a feature, a measurable factor that can help in defining a particular system
PCR: A method of DNA analysis that exponentially amplifies a specific DNA sequence or region allowing rapid DNA analysis
Population: A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area.
Primer: A short oligonucleotide sequence used to amplify DNA sequences in a polymerase chain reaction