Alhaddad Hasan, Alhajeri Bader H
Department of Biological Sciences, Kuwait University, Kuwait City, Kuwait.
Front Genet. 2019 Feb 5;10:48. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2019.00048. eCollection 2019.
Camels are livestock that exhibit unique morphological, biochemical, and behavioral traits, which arose by natural and artificial selection. Investigating the molecular basis of camel traits has been limited by: (1) the absence of a comprehensive record of morphological trait variation (e.g., diseases) and the associated mode of inheritance, (2) the lack of extended pedigrees of specific trait(s), and (3) the long reproductive cycle of the camel, which makes the cost of establishing and maintaining a breeding colony (i.e., monitoring crosses) prohibitively high. Overcoming these challenges requires (1) detailed documentation of phenotypes/genetic diseases and their likely mode of inheritance (and collection of related DNA samples), (2) conducting association studies to identify phenotypes/genetic diseases causing genetic variants (instead of classical linkage analysis, which requires extended pedigrees), and (3) validating likely causative variants by screening a large number of camel samples from different populations. We attempt to address these issues by establishing a systematic way of collecting camel DNA samples, and associated phenotypic information, which we call the "Cdrom Archive." Here, we outline the process of building this archive to introduce it to other camel researchers (as an example). Additionally, we discuss the use of this archive to study the phenotypic traits of Arabian Peninsula camel breeds (the "Mezayen" camels). Using the Cdrom Archive, we report variable phenotypic traits related to the coat (color, length, and texture), ear and tail lengths, along with other morphological measurements.
骆驼是具有独特形态、生化和行为特征的家畜，这些特征是通过自然选择和人工选择形成的。对骆驼特征分子基础的研究受到以下因素的限制：（1）缺乏形态特征变异（如疾病）及其相关遗传模式的全面记录，（2）缺乏特定性状的详细系谱，（3）骆驼的繁殖周期长，这使得建立和维持一个繁殖群体（即监测杂交）的成本高得令人望而却步。克服这些挑战需要（用1）详细记录表型/遗传疾病及其可能的遗传模式（并收集相关DNA样本），（2）进行关联研究以识别导致遗传变异的表型/遗传疾病（而不是需要详细系谱的经典连锁分析），以及（3）通过筛选来自不同群体的大量骆驼样本验证可能的致病变异。我们试图通过建立一种系统的方法来收集骆驼DNA样本及相关表型信息来解决这些问题，我们将其称为“光盘档案”。在此，我们概述建立这个档案的过程，以便将其介绍给其他骆驼研究人员（作为一个示例）。此外，我们还讨论了利用这个档案来研究阿拉伯半岛骆驼品种（“梅扎延”骆驼）的表型特征。利用光盘档案，我们报告了与被毛（颜色、长度和质地）、耳朵和尾巴长度以及其他形态测量相关的可变表型特征。
