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. 2012 May;25(5):733-7.
doi: 10.5713/ajas.2012.12003. Epub 2012 May 1.

Sex Determination of Cattle Meat by Polymerase Chain Reaction Amplification of the DEAD Box Protein (DDX3X/DDX3Y) Gene

P Gokulakrishnan  1 , R R Kumar  1 , B D Sharma  1 , S K Mendiratta  1 , D Sharma  1
Affiliations

Sex Determination of Cattle Meat by Polymerase Chain Reaction Amplification of the DEAD Box Protein (DDX3X/DDX3Y) Gene

P Gokulakrishnan et al. Asian-Australas J Anim Sci. 2012 May.

Abstract

Determination of sex origin of cattle meat by fast and reliable molecular methods is an important measure to ensure correct allocation of export refunds particularly in European countries and also female cattle (cow) slaughter is legally banned in India because of religious beliefs. Based on the DEAD box protein gene located on the X and Y chromosomes, 2 pair of primers were designed and the system of PCR was optimized. Upon PCR amplification, male tissue showed 2 bands, while female tissue resulted in only one band. The accuracy and specificity of the primers was assessed using DNA template extracted from cattle meat of known sex. The protocol was subjected to a blind test and showed 100% concordance, proving its accuracy and reliability.

Keywords: Cattle Meat; DEAD Box Protein Gene; Meat Quality; Sex Determination.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Alignment of the DDX3X and DDX3Y gene sequences (GenBank accession No. NW003104743.1 and NW003104786.1). The primers DDX3-1F and DDX3-1R are indicated by bold letters. Dashes indicate gaps in alignment.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Alignment of the DDX3X and DDX3Y gene sequences (GenBank accession No. NW003104743.1 and NW003104786.1). The primers DDX3-2F and DDX3-2R are indicated by bold letters. Dashes indicate gaps in alignment.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Electrophoretic pattern of amplified fragments from the cattle meat DNA using DDX3-1F and DDX3-1R primers. Samples are: male (Lanes 1, 3 and 5) and female (Lanes 2, 4 and 6). M-Marker of molecular weight, 100-bp ladder (O’Gene Ruler, Fermentas), N = Non-template control.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Electrophoretic pattern of amplified fragments from the cattle meat DNA using DDX3-2F and DDX3-2R primers. Samples are: male (Lanes 1, 3 and 5) and female (Lanes 2, 4 and 6). M-Marker of molecular weight, 100-bp ladder (O’Gene Ruler, Fermentas), N = Non-template control.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Laboratory validation of the assay in randomly coded samples using DDX3-1F and DDX3-1R primers. Samples are: male (Lanes A, B, F, I, J, K, M, N, O, Q and R) and female (Lanes C, D, E, G, H, L and P). M-Marker of molecular weight, 50-bp ladder (O’Gene Ruler, Fermentas).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Laboratory validation of the assay in randomly coded samples using DDX3-2F and DDX3-2R primers. Samples are: male (Lanes A, B, E, F, I, J, M, N, Q and R) and female (Lanes C, D, G, H, K, L, O and P). M-Marker of molecular weight, 50-bp ladder (O’Gene Ruler, Fermentas).
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