Cytogenetics In Animal Reproduction

Infertility and sterility; Embryonic and fetal mortality; Congenital abnormalities; Intersexuality; Other congenital abnormalities; Prenatalcytogenetic studies; Techniques.

This special topic issue on Veterinary Cytogenetics is dedicated to the Swedish scientist Ingemar Gustavsson, one of the pioneers of domestic animal cytogenetics, whose ground-breaking research has shaped this discipline for over 40 years. During his long and productive career he focused on chromosomes and their fundamental role in animal physiology, fertility, health and production in the context of agriculture and veterinary medicine, and he made important contributions to our understanding of mitosis, meiosis, chromosome integrity, and the transmission of chromosomal variation in domestic animals. This collection of reviews and original articles illustrates how the field of veterinary cytogenetics evolved from the study of the structure and number of chromosomes to modern molecular cytogenetics with its refined technology for research, diagnostic, prognostic or reproductive purposes. The goal of this publication is not to present an exhaustive volume covering each area of veterinary cytogenetics, but to give examples of specific subjects tackled by research groups working mainly in Europe and North America.

This book presents animal cytology as a science of seeing and interpreting chromosome form and behaviour, and of appreciating its evolutionary significance. Its principal objective is to help students develop a basic understanding and confidence on all matters relating to animal chromosomes.

Since 1961 the author has taught a course in Cytogenetics at Montana State University. Undergraduate and graduate stu dents of Biology, Chemistry, Microbiology, Animal and Range Science, Plant and Soil Science, Plant Pathology and Veterinary Science are enrolled. Therefore, the subject matter has been pre sented in an integrated way to correlate it with these diverse disciplines. This book has been prepared as a text for this course. The most recent Cytogenetics text was published in 1972, and rapidly developing research in this field makes a new one urgently needed. This book includes many aspects of Cytogenetics and related fields and is written for the college student as well as for the researcher. It is recommended that the student should have taken preparatory courses in Principles of Genetics and Cytol ogy. The content is more than is usually taught during one quar ter of an academic year, thus allowing an instructor to choose what he or she would like to present to a class. This approach also allows the researcher to obtain a broad exposure to this field of biology. References are generously supplied to stimulate orig inal reading on the subject and to give access to valuable sources. The detailed index is intended to be of special assistance to researchers.

A better "casting" could not be conceived. The authors of this book are gold smiths on the subject. I have followed their work since their "entry" into cyto genetics and I have a high esteem for them. I consider it an honour to be asked to write the preface of their opus. Paul Popescu, Directeur de Recherche at INRA, has also played a promi nent part in the development of animal cytogenetics, especially in domestic animals. He is able to tell you the cost of a translocation in a pig breeding farm or a cow population: a fortune! P. Popescu has played a great part in gene mapping of these species using "in situ DNA hybridisation". His contributions are recognised world-wide. His laboratory receives many visitors every year and it serves as a reference for domestic animal cytogenetics. Helene Hayes, Charge de Recherche at INRA, has collaborated with P. POPESCU in the elaboration of the "at hand" techniques and in many other discoveries which are listed in her bibliography. She showed the fascinating correspondence between bovine and human chromosomes and the com pared gene maps of domestic bovidae.

Cytogenetics of livestock; Introduction to historical development of cytology and cytogenetics; Cell division: mitosis and meiosis; Chromosome number and morphology; Cromosome aberrations; Banding of cromosome and karyotyping; Fertilization, pasthenogenesis and sex determination; Somati cell hybridzation; Fertility as affected by chromosomes; Laboratoty procedures for chromosome studies; Cattle chromosome; Sheep and goat chromosome; Swine chromosome; Chromosomes of horses, asses and mules; Bird cytogenetics.

Cytogenetics is the study of chromosome morphology, structure, pathology, function, and behavior. The field has evolved to embrace molecular cytogenetic changes, now termed cytogenomics. Cytogeneticists utilize an assortment of procedures to investigate the full complement of chromosomes and/or a targeted region within a specific chromosome in metaphase or interphase. Tools include routine analysis of G-banded chromosomes, specialized stains that address specific chromosomal structures, and molecular probes, such as fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and chromosome microarray analysis, which employ a variety of methods to highlight a region as small as a single, specific genetic sequence under investigation. The AGT Cytogenetics Laboratory Manual, Fourth Edition offers a comprehensive description of the diagnostic tests offered by the clinical laboratory and explains the science behind them. One of the most valuable assets is its rich compilation of laboratory-tested protocols currently being used in leading laboratories, along with practical advice for nearly every area of interest to cytogeneticists. In addition to covering essential topics that have been the backbone of cytogenetics for over 60 years, such as the basic components of a cell, use of a microscope, human tissue processing for cytogenetic analysis (prenatal, constitutional, and neoplastic), laboratory safety, and the mechanisms behind chromosome rearrangement and aneuploidy, this edition introduces new and expanded chapters by experts in the field. Some of these new topics include a unique collection of chromosome heteromorphisms; clinical examples of genomic imprinting; an example-driven overview of chromosomal microarray; mathematics specifically geared for the cytogeneticist; usage of ISCN’s cytogenetic language to describe chromosome changes; tips for laboratory management; examples of laboratory information systems; a collection of internet and library resources; and a special chapter on animal chromosomes for the research and zoo cytogeneticist. The range of topics is thus broad yet comprehensive, offering the student a resource that teaches the procedures performed in the cytogenetics laboratory environment, and the laboratory professional with a peer-reviewed reference that explores the basis of each of these procedures. This makes it a useful resource for researchers, clinicians, and lab professionals, as well as students in a university or medical school setting.

This special topic issue on Veterinary Cytogenetics is dedicated to the Swedish scientist Ingemar Gustavsson, one of the pioneers of domestic animal cytogenetics, whose ground-breaking research has shaped this discipline for over 40 years. During his long and productive career he focused on chromosomes and their fundamental role in animal physiology, fertility, health and production in the context of agriculture and veterinary medicine, and he made important contributions to our understanding of mitosis, meiosis, chromosome integrity, and the transmission of chromosomal variation in domestic animals. This collection of reviews and original articles illustrates how the field of veterinary cytogenetics evolved from the study of the structure and number of chromosomes to modern molecular cytogenetics with its refined technology for research, diagnostic, prognostic or reproductive purposes. The goal of this publication is not to present an exhaustive volume covering each area of veterinary cytogenetics, but to give examples of specific subjects tackled by research groups working mainly in Europe and North America.

A look into the phenomena of sex and reproduction in all organisms, taking an innovative, unified and comprehensive approach.