Department of Agriculture,Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences (FAFS), American University of Beirut , Saudi Arabia
The rationale of this study is to overcome the complexity in optimization of the PCR protocols in an attempt to amplify specific sites on four different genes within the Growth Differentiation Factor 9 (GDF9) in ewe and doe, a required factor expressed in oocytes for folliculogenesis. This optimization is a prerequisite for improving the selection criterion for higher prolificacy in selected newly born female kids and lambs. Results showed that optimization of PCR protocols of each of the four genes within the GDF9 required different standardizations based on many factors namely, the concentrations of extracted DNA, primer volume in the PCR mix, cycling conditions, freshness of extracted DNA, re-amplification of PCR product, and concentration of the Agarose Gel for banding amplicons. In conclusion, the complex optimization showed that each of the four genes within the GDF9 required different PCR protocols.
Keywords: Amplification, GDF9, Genes, Goats, Optimization, Reproduction, ewes