Current Status of Molecular Genetics Research of Goat Breeding

Abstract

The goat is an important part of livestock farming due to their meat, milk, wool, and other products. The understanding of the goat genome has opened drastic opportunities for productivity improvement. Many important genomic technologies have been developed, including microsatellites, single nucleotide polymorphism, and whole genome sequencing, and these techniques are being used to identify important genomic regions in the goat genome. Identification of important genes related to meat, milk, and wool can help design breeding programs for increasing the productivity of goat farming. Recent advances in genome engineering tools like zinc finger nuclease, TALENS, and CRISPR/Cas9 have also made it easier to engineer farm animal genomes. Medically and commercially important genes are being engineered in farm animals for medicinal and commercial purposes. This chapter will focus on some of these technologies being applied in goat breeding to increase animal health and the commercial economy.