Qtl detection and candidate gene study for traits related to food quality and safety in sheep (meat and dairy) production within the framework of a European research contract called "genesheepsafety"
Detection de QTL et étude de gènes candidats pour des caractères liés à la qualité et la sécurité alimentaires en production d'ovins (viande et lait) dans le cadre d'un contrat européen de recherche intitulé "genesheepsafety"
Résumé
The "genesheepsafety" project addresses the safety and quality of food in the sheep production chain using genetics. It concerns research partners from France, UK, Italy and Spain involved in a European contract (QLK5-2000-00656) of the 5th Framework Programme. The project started in February 2001 and will end in July 2004. The project will share genetic resource populations (backcross between Sarda and Lacaune breeds in Italy, divergent Lacaune lines in France, purebred families in Churra in Spain, purebred families in Basco-Bearnaise, Lacaune and Manech breeds in France, backcross between a lean and a fat line of Blackface in UK) and will also share the genotyping of the animals using microsatellite markers. The traits measured, related to food quality and safety, include CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) of milk, mastitis resistance and milkability, nematode parasite resistance, nasal botfly resistance and out of season breeding. It is planned to study both candidate genes or functional genomics for those traits, and QTL analysis. Outputs include knowledge on food and quality traits, QTL and candidate genes, in order to implement breeding strategies on those traits.