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Sex identification in avian species using DNA typing methods

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 March 2007

H. CERIT  and
K. AVANUS
H. CERIT*
Affiliation:
Istanbul University Veterinary Faculty Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Istanbul, Turkey
K. AVANUS
Affiliation:
Istanbul University Veterinary Faculty Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Istanbul, Turkey
*
*Corresponding author: hcerit@istanbul.edu.tr
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Abstract

Many avian species are considered sexually monomorphic. In monomorphic bird species, especially in young birds, sex is difficult to identify based on an analysis of their external morphology. For nestlings, sex identification is usually impossible by morphological examination. Sex identification in avian species is one of the key points of avian breeding and evolutionary studies. Through the knowledge of sex identification genes, poultry breeding programmes can be applied more successfully. Vent sexing, laparoscopy, steroid sexing and karyotyping are methods for sex identification used in monomorphic birds. However these methods are unreliable, time-consuming, and expensive while some of them could be painful and even lifethreatening for birds. The sex of an individual is established from the genes located on sex chromosomes. Female birds carry one copy of both Z and W, and male birds carry two copies of Z avian sex chromosomes. However, there are many DNA techniques, the most reliable one is amplifying sex specific CHD1 gene by P2 – P8 primer pairs.

Keywords

sex identificationavian speciesavian sex chromosomes, CHDZ geneCHDW gene

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Type
Review Article
Information
World's Poultry Science Journal , Volume 63 , Issue 1 , March 2007 , pp. 91 - 100
Copyright
Copyright © World's Poultry Science Association 2007

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