In order to provide an alternative to day-old chick culling in the layer hatcheries, a noninvasive method for egg sexing is required at an early stage of incubation before onset of embryo sensitivity. Fluorescence and Raman spectroscopy of blood offers the potential for precise and contactless in ovo sex determination of the domestic chicken (Gallus gallus f. dom.) eggs already during the fourt...

Genetic approaches, including the sterile insect technique (SIT), have previously been considered for control of the Australian sheep blow fly Lucilia cuprina, a major pest of sheep. In an SIT program, females consume 50% of the diet but are ineffective as control agents and compete with females in the field for mating with sterile males, thereby decreasing the efficiency of the program. Conseq...

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) was • fi rst applied in 1988 using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) protocol to amplify a sequence on the Y chromosome for embryo sexing for patients carrying X-linked disease. Patients have to go through in vitro • fertilization (IVF) so that their embryos may be generated in vitro. Cells are removed from oocytes or embryos and used for the genetic diag...

On a worldwide basis, more than 750,000 embryos are produced annually from superovulated donors and more than 450,000 embryos are produced using in vitro techniques. Superovulation and embryo collection are done as frequently as every 30 days. Cryopreservation and direct transfer of frozen-thawed embryos results in pregnancy rates near that of fresh embryos. Since the zona pellucida-intact in v...

Band 3 deficiency with hereditary spherocytosis and hemolytic anemia in Japanese black cattle, band 3(Bov.Yamagata), is caused by a total lack of band 3 protein with an autosomal dominant inheritance. Genotyping for band 3 deficiency and sexing were successfully achieved in biopsied embryo cells with efficiencies of 98.4% and 97.4%, respectively. Transfer of the embryo that was determined as ho...

Over the past decade, there has been an increase in the development and/or in the improvement of emerging reproductive technologies in pigs. Among emerging reproductive technologies with potential short-term application in pig production are: artificial insemination with low number of spermatozoa, cryopreservation of spermatozoa and embryos, sperm sexing, and non-surgical embryo transfer. The f...

The effects of reproductive compensation on the population genetics of sex-linked recessive lethal mutations are investigated. Simple equations are presented which describe these effects, and so complement existing population genetic theory. More importantly, this type of mutation is responsible for several severe human genetic diseases such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy. It is argued that th...

This review focuses on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) sexing of bovine embryos in commercial situations with emphasis on new developments. Simplifications of the biopsy technique is one of the major simplifications over the last few years. The stabilization of the embryo by means of protein-free medium or scratches produced on the bottom of the Petri dish makes it possible to perform a biopsy ...