A32-Lanc«Bttf Firming, Saturday, Dacambar 23, 1995
First Calves Produced From
Predetermined Sex Technique
(Continued from Pago Al)
and Y (male) sperm based on
DNA content using a technology
developed by USDA scientists at
the Agricultural Research Service.
The new artificial-insemination techmque
can result in pregnancies with only 200,000
sperm. The USDA sexing process currently
yields about 400,000 sperm per hour of each
sex, which is one reason researchers deve
loped the technique to use lower numbers of
sperm.
With the DNA sexing technology deve
loped by USDA, researchers are able to shift
the sex ratio of calves from the normal SO-S 0
to 80-90 percent of one sex or the other.
Calves previously have been produced with
sexed semen through in vitro fertilization;
however, this procedure has little value for
routine cattle production because of complex
ity and cost Artificial insemination is widely
used in cattle breeding.
Cooperators on the project, led by Color
ado State Professor George Seidel of the uni
versity’s Animal Reproduction Biotechnolo
gy Laboratory, included Charles H. Allen of
Atlantic Breeders Cooperative and Lawrence
A. Johnson, of USDA, Beltsville, Md. Atlan
tic Breeders supplied the bull semen and sup
port, and Johnson’s Agriculture Research
Service lab provided the sperm-sexing tech
nology, which has been patented by the
USDA.
Johnson’s team separated the X from the Y
sperm by DNA content using a flow
cytometer/cell sorter and laser technology. X
sperm have about four percent more DNA
than Y sperm. The sexed semen was shipped
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by commercial air to Colorado, where it was
used to inseminate cattle at Colorado State
and also at DUO Dairy in nearby Loveland.
Twelve of the IS pregnancies produced
with this method to date are of the sex pre
dicted at the time of insemination. All of the
calves appear to be normal.
DUO Dairy co-owner Mike Dickinson and
the dairy’s resident veterinarian Meg Cattell
became involved in the project because of the
potential benefit to their operation. “Practical
sexing technology would be of enormous val
ue to our dairy,” Cattell said. “We’re always
looking for ways to improve efficiency, and
this research could help meet that goal.”
Predetermining sex of calves allows cattle
breeders to produce milk and meat more effi
ciently. For example, cattle producers could
obtain females from the best cows in the herd
to replace older cows as they age, and males
for meat from the remainder of the herd
because males gain weight more efficiently
than females.
“Much more work is required to make this
process commercially viable. One problem
that needs to be solved is the large variability
in fertility from bull to bull using these proce
dures. Our goal is to have this technology
available for about $lO more than the normal
cost of a dose of unsexed semen, while main
taining fertility and availability of semen to
cattle breeders,” Seidel said.
This research-will be presented in January
at the International Embryo Transfer Society
Meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah. For further
information, contact Seidel at (970)
491-5287, Johnson at (301) 504-8545 or
Allen at (717) 569-0413.
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