Do you know that the Philippine national animal, the hardy, plodding carabao isn't endemic to the country but descended from swamp buffaloes in China? This was revealed by a recent study conducted by scientists from the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC).
Several researchers led by Leslie Anne del Barrio took a scientific way to end the debate on whether the carabao is endemic or not by conducting a genetic analysis to discover the links between carabaos here and in China.
To measure the genetic link among the species, Del Barrio and her team resorted to the use of the D-loop mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid (mtDNA), microsatellites and protein coding loci.
The use of mtDNA is crucial to determine intra and interspecific variation by way of maternal transmission, no recombination and high substitution rate.
Through molecular analysis, parti-cularly sequencing mtDNA and comparing them with other sequences all over the country and in other countries, the team sought to know from where the extant carabao population came.
Eventually, the Del Barrio team established that the carabao, which is now a symbol of just how hardy Filipinos are, descended from the maternal line of Chinese swamp buffaloes.
Del Barrio and her colleagues got mtDNA D-loop from 36 blood and DNA samples through molecular cloning and sequence analysis and in the process found out from whence the carabaos came.
The samples were acquired from Cagayan, Batangas, Bohol and Bukidnon.
DNA was collected and the D-loop region was amplified through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers CB3 and A.dlo.H with PCR product of 484-bp. The D-loop PCR products were cloned and sequenced.
Six computer programs and databases like GenBank, BLAST programs, Vector NTI suite, Chromas 2.33, ClustalX and TreeView were utilized to examine the sequences.
All told, 97.5 percent homology was detected from the multiple sequence alignment analysis.
Based on the Blast N database, the sequences showed 99 percent to 100 percent compatibility with China breeds, confirming that local carabaos had descended from the maternal lines in China.
Not content with the result, the team developed a rooted phylogenetic tree and confirmed further that the local carabao was inextricably linked to Lineage A of swamp buffaloes and closely related to Chinese buffaloes.
Scientists from Malaysia, Australia and Japan had previously sequenced the D-loop region and cytochrome b genet and mtDNA of Philippine carabao but the results of their studies were not available.
The analyzed sequence of the Del Barrio study may still be used for sequencing the entire mtDNA genome of the local carabao.
However, the most concrete result of the study would be the design of proper breeding programs and the conservation of the different genetic lineages existing in the country.
It could also provide ample scientific basis for biotechnological approaches to develop even better breeds that can provide more milk and meat for a country that is dependent on imported dairy products.
Several researchers led by Leslie Anne del Barrio took a scientific way to end the debate on whether the carabao is endemic or not by conducting a genetic analysis to discover the links between carabaos here and in China.
To measure the genetic link among the species, Del Barrio and her team resorted to the use of the D-loop mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid (mtDNA), microsatellites and protein coding loci.
The use of mtDNA is crucial to determine intra and interspecific variation by way of maternal transmission, no recombination and high substitution rate.
Through molecular analysis, parti-cularly sequencing mtDNA and comparing them with other sequences all over the country and in other countries, the team sought to know from where the extant carabao population came.
Eventually, the Del Barrio team established that the carabao, which is now a symbol of just how hardy Filipinos are, descended from the maternal line of Chinese swamp buffaloes.
Del Barrio and her colleagues got mtDNA D-loop from 36 blood and DNA samples through molecular cloning and sequence analysis and in the process found out from whence the carabaos came.
The samples were acquired from Cagayan, Batangas, Bohol and Bukidnon.
DNA was collected and the D-loop region was amplified through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers CB3 and A.dlo.H with PCR product of 484-bp. The D-loop PCR products were cloned and sequenced.
Six computer programs and databases like GenBank, BLAST programs, Vector NTI suite, Chromas 2.33, ClustalX and TreeView were utilized to examine the sequences.
All told, 97.5 percent homology was detected from the multiple sequence alignment analysis.
Based on the Blast N database, the sequences showed 99 percent to 100 percent compatibility with China breeds, confirming that local carabaos had descended from the maternal lines in China.
Not content with the result, the team developed a rooted phylogenetic tree and confirmed further that the local carabao was inextricably linked to Lineage A of swamp buffaloes and closely related to Chinese buffaloes.
Scientists from Malaysia, Australia and Japan had previously sequenced the D-loop region and cytochrome b genet and mtDNA of Philippine carabao but the results of their studies were not available.
The analyzed sequence of the Del Barrio study may still be used for sequencing the entire mtDNA genome of the local carabao.
However, the most concrete result of the study would be the design of proper breeding programs and the conservation of the different genetic lineages existing in the country.
It could also provide ample scientific basis for biotechnological approaches to develop even better breeds that can provide more milk and meat for a country that is dependent on imported dairy products.
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I don't exactly understand what that eans but that is a beautiful animal.
In Malaysia, we called this animal "kerbau". It sounds so similar.
These animals are unique to southeast asia. As time has probably been a lot of intermarriage between the types of water buffalo are there. But clearly the water buffalo is an animal that moves slowly but a lot of meat.