1996/01/01 by Koichi MURATA, Koichi Murata, Ryuichi MASUDA
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Genetic and Clinical Aspects of Sex Determination and Chromosomal Abnormalities #Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestock #Genetic diversity and population structure
paper · pdf · doi:10.1292/jvms.58.12_1157
openalex publication_date 1996/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/26
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of a partial fragment of the sex determining region Y (SRY) gene was used for sexing a young Linne's two-toed sloth (Choloepus didactylus), a species in which gender determination from the external genitalia is difficult. DNA was extracted from hairs of a 5-month-old sloth as well as the dam and sire as external controls. A SRY fragment (216 bases) was PCR-amplified both from the offspring and the sire, but not amplified from the dam. The DNA sequence (166 bases without primers) of the sloth PCR product was determined and compared with SRY sequences of other mammals previously reported. High homology of their nucleotide (74.1-86.8%) and deduced amino acid (63.6-85.5%) sequences indicates that the PCR product of the sloth was amplified from a region of the SRY gene, and that SRY sequences are conserved throughout mammalian orders. From the result the sex of the young sloth was determined as a male. The PCR method using hairs for sexing the sloth provides an advantageous tool for captive propagation plan in zoos. To the authors' knowledge, no report regarding SRY sequences in the order Xenarthra (Edentata) has been published.