DNA testing any experts?

[magic104]

I asked this on another post but got buried;
Can DNA tests show if a horse has TB or ID blood? If we can do the following with people, just wondered if we can narrow down what breeds make up the horse?
Our Ethnicity DNA Test provides a global overview of your genetic makeup telling you what percentage of your DNA is shared with Africans, Europeans, Asians and Native Americans. If the Ethnicity DNA testing shows that you have enough European ancestry to proceed, our European Ethnicity DNA Test will further breakdown your European heritage into Northern European, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and South Asian. Our Native American verification testing can confirm if you are of Native American descent.

If it is possible then it could take the guess work out of "what breed am I" senario.

 

[pocomoto]

Yes it’s possible but might be still a little expensive for that level of use as it is relatively new.

The technique has been developed by analysing Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) . This is a form of DNA found in the reproductive cell of the female (the egg) and is thought to originate from the bacteria that were originally contained within single celled organisms from the beginning of life on earth. Bit deep!

But basically since it is not involved in the division seen in reproduction the DNA alters very little in generations, so it is a constant by which origins and relationships wider that of direct descent can be studied. In humans this can place a person as having descended from a particular race such as the Vikings as direct comparison can still be drawn because the DNA is still similar, where as reproductive DNA has changed beyond comparison by now.

The only problem is it only really relates to female direct lines of descent as they are the majority contributor to the next generation with very little input from the male sperm. It’s single parent DNA! A lot of it is still theory!!

There are currently quite a few studies going on one of which is using mtDNA to establish the order of evolution in the horse I.e. which fossil ancestor came first!

Another study has recently proven a direct link between the modern Iberian breeds and the now native breeds of America. I think they are now considering comparison with the English Hackney and those horses as it has long been historically documented that the Spanish Hacas that went to the Americas originated in England (the Hackney).

Yet another study looked into the origins of native ponies and other popular breeds.

There is another technique that looks a a male form of inherited DNA but can’t remember the name at the mo.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2129182.stm

 

[pocomoto]

Remembered the male heritage DNA test is Y chromosome (Y-DNA) Doh!