A Genetic Marker for the Korean Native Cattle (Hanwoo) Found by an Arbitrarily Primed-Polymerase Chain Reaction (AP-PCR)

In order to develop a specific genetic marker for the Korean native cattle (Hanwoo), an arbitrarily-primed polymerase chain reaction (AP-PCR) analysis of 6 different cattle breeds was attempted. Eight different arbitrary primers, each longer than 20-mer nucleotides, were used. In comparison to the AP-PCR patterns, several distinctive DNA bands that are specific for a certain breed were detected. When the primer Kpn-X was employed, a 280bp DNA fragment was found to be specific only for Hanwoo. In an individual analysis of Hanwoo, this AP-PCR marker was observed in 123 head of cattle among the 153 that were tested (80.4%). Nucleotide sequencing revealed that this fragment has a short microsatellite sequence of tandem repeat, $A(G)_{1-2}\;(C)_{1-3}AGAG$. According to the analysis of AP-PCR band patterns, Hanwoo was discovered to be genetically most closely-related with Holstein among the various cattle breeds.