PCR based bovine preimplantation embryo sexing: Avoiding false males

Abstract

Preselection of sex of an offspring in livestock industry has commercial importance as economic value of each livestockspecies is different sex. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based sexing assay has been applied widely to determine sex ofbovine preimplantation embryos. PCR is a powerful technique having potential to amplify even a single copy of target DNA.Therefore, PCR-based sexing assay is vulnerable to contamination and may give a signal of false male. In this review, thecurrent status of PCR and its application to embryo sexing is being reported. Also critical tips to be kept in mind whilesetting up PCR based embryo sexing assay to avoid contamination (hence false males) are enumerated.