Introgression of genes between populations
A further potential use of marker technology in breeding is
the transfer of genes that control desired phenotypes
between breeds. Keeping breeds that have been highly
selected for improved production is impossible in some
parts of the world, without extensive veterinary input,
because of the susceptibility of these ‘improved’ livestock
to endemic diseases. However, indigenous breeds are often
resistant to these endemic diseases. If the genes controlling
resistance to the specific disease were identified, it would
theoretically be possible to transfer them from the
indigenous breed into the ‘improved breed’, thus,
producing stock that have an increased production
potential and are resistant to endemic disease. The
introgression of disease resistance genes into the improved
breeds would be achieved initially by crossing the
indigenous and improved breeds. The first generation
crossbred animals would then be backcrossed to the
improved breeds and the animals genotyped for the genes
involved in the disease resistance. Animals carrying the
favourable alleles would be selected for breeding and
backcrossed again to the improved breed. By repeated
backcrossing and selective breeding from the animals
carrying the favourable disease resistance alleles, it is
possible to ‘recover’ the majority of the genome from the
‘improved breed’, while maintaining the disease resistance
that originated from the indigenous breed.
A QTL study of F2 cattle produced from crossing N’Dama
and Boran cattle, which are resistant and susceptible to
trypanosomosis, respectively, revealed that 18 QTL regions
were associated with resistance to the disease (15).
Unfortunately, introgression of such a complex trait from
resistant cattle to other breeds could not be considered
with marker-assisted selection.
Maintaining genetic diversity
At the phenotypic level, the presence of favourable alleles
in an individual is only revealed by measuring the
performance of the individual for the trait. For complex
traits, animals with above average performance for the trait
will have ‘good’ alleles for several of the genes involved in
the trait; although, these may not necessarily be the ‘best’
alleles. Following the identification of above average
individuals, phenotypic selection then relies on continued
selection using these ‘superior animals’. This strategy
inevitably results in a small number of individuals having
a large influence on the gene pool, which, in turn, results
in losses in genetic diversity, particularly the loss of rare
alleles. Knowledge of the genes that control a trait will
allow efficient selection for the superior alleles at those
genes. However, if additional markers dispersed across the
genome are also used to characterise the animals used for
breeding, it would be possible to devise strategies to
maintain the widest possible genetic diversity, while still
making optimum progress in the target trait. Maintaining
variation in loci that are not currently under selection is
important for sustaining diversity in trait genes that may be
selected for in the future.