I-Corps: Non-invasive DNA testing of chromosomal markers

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The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is to use a combination of novel and non-invasive DNA testing methods to identify chromosomal markers in reptiles. The main goal of this approach is to generate a practical and commercial solution for veterinarians, zoos, and wildlife researchers to identify individual reptiles' genetic traits, which are critical for health-treatment delivery, captive breeding, and population structure analyses. This proposal specifically explores an unmet service functionality within the captive and wild reptilian veterinary and propagation sectors to increase accuracy, efficiency, and success of treatment and to generate a better informed and more consistent customer basis. The proposed product will allow veterinarians and others to use a non-invasive DNA collection method to gather genetic material and, in turn, to receive accurate results on the chromosomal structure of individual reptiles.This I-Corps project will capitalize on a combination of novel genetic techniques with non-invasive DNA sampling to allow for the identification of physiologically and behaviorally relevant chromosomal markers in reptiles, focusing on non-avian squamates. Genetic sequencing of chromosomal markers in avian reptiles is a straightforward scientific and commercially already available procedure, whereas non-avian reptiles possess highly variable chromosomal determination mechanisms, from temperature-dependence through sequence-based chromosomal assignment. Thus, even within the closely related lineages of lizards and snakes, protocols used for genetic assessment in one species may not work in other species. The technology developed here solves this by utilizing a new quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) based approach to identify gene-copy number in specific reptilian chromosomes. A quantitative genetics solution will determine chromosomal identity for over 4000 species of lizards and snakes and combine it with expertise in diverse non-invasive DNA collection and extraction techniques. The proposed novel combination of protocols has been validated to uniquely enable the assessment of the molecular markers of potential physiological and behavioral traits in a broad diversity of reptiles.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.