69855 - Genetic and Genetic Improvement

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, students are expected to know those principles of genetics important for animal breeding in companion animals and livestock species, with general knowledge of strategies, tools and limitations of genetic improvement

Course contents

Phenotype and genotype. Autosomes and sexual chromosomes, genes, and alleles.

Inheritance. Mendelian laws, crossbreeding, and sex-linked inheritance.

Extensions of Mendelian principles. Multiple alleles, incomplete dominance, co-dominance, interactions between genes, epistasis.

Essential and lethal genes. General overview.

Gene expression. Variable penetrance and expressivity.

Gene location. Mapping, genetic distance, linkage.

Population genetics. Inbreeding, allele and gene frequency, Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Practical session: inbreeding coefficient calculation and Chi-square test to assess Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.

Conservation plans for breeds or species. General overview.

Qualitative and quantitative traits in livestock and companion animals. Definition of environmental, genetic, and phenotypic variability and calculation of heritability.

Genetic improvement in production species. Official testing in dairy and meat species. Overview of tests available. Gene editing.

Selection towards desired morphology in pets. Consequences related to extreme morphology and future perspectives.

Readings/Bibliography

Teaching material and slides will be progressively uploaded on the Virtuale platform during the course. For further information, please contact the instructors. An English version of the following books can be retrieved from the instructor upon request:

• G. Pagnacco "Genetica animale. Applicazioni zootecniche e veterinarie" III Edition. Ed. Casa Editrice Ambrosiana.
• P. D. Snustad e M. J. Simmons “Principi di genetica”. V Edition. Ed. Edises.

Teaching methods

The course is splitted into:

Unit I (19 hours): theoretical classes.

Unit II (12 hours): practical sessions and seminars.

Assessment methods

The exam, whose maximum length is 90 minutes, consists of:

• 15 multiple choice questions, each evaluated with a score from a minimum of 0 up to 2;
• 1 open-ended question (min. 0 and max. 3 points).

The exam is based on the material presented in both Unit I and Unit II. Students are kindly asked to inform the instructor in advance via e-mail if the english version is needed.

The module (2 credits) is part of the Integrated Course "Animal Breeding and Economics", together with the other 3 modules. The final score of the Integrated Course is represented by the average of the evaluations obtained in the 4 modules.

More details about date, time and place of exams will be presented during the first introductory lesson and published in AlmaEsami.

NOTE: EXAM LENGTH REDUCED TO 60 MINUTES FROM THE WINTER 2023 SESSION.

Teaching tools

During frontal classes, the instructor will upload and share slides and other material useful for the practical sessions.

The exam is based on the material presented in both Unit I and Unit II. 

Students are kindly invited to contact the instructor for further clarifications. 

Office hours

See the website of Angela Costa