Genetic Diagnosis of Band 3 Deficiency and Sexing in Bovine Preimplantation Embryos

Abstract

Band 3 deficiency with hereditary spherocytosis and hemolytic anemia in Japanese black cattle, band 3^Bov.Yamagata, is caused by a total lack of band 3 protein with an autosomal dominant inheritance. Genotyping for band 3 deficiency and sexing were successfully achieved in biopsied embryo cells with efficiencies of 98.4% and 97.4%, respectively. Transfer of the embryo that was determined as homozygous for the mutant allele into a recipient cow resulted in the production of a fetus exhibiting the genotype and red cell phenotypes characteristic of band 3^Bov.Yamagata. These results demonstrate that our procedure is reliable and applicable to produce animals free from or homozygous for the mutant allele by breeding carrier animals.