• Speed congenic (or accelerated backcross) :

The TAAM has developed, as a service for the scientific community, the technique of speed congenic (or accelerated backcross). This technique allows an allele to be fixed in a donor genetic background over 5 generations, instead of 10 (in the case of a conventional backcross).

For that purpose, we use a panel of microsatellite markers, which allow us to select, for each generation, the animal which will possess the greatest donor background. This animal will be used to produce the next generation.

The TAAM offers a protocol in which a panel of 80 microsatellite markers is used (distributed every 20 cM) for the testing, in each generation, of 10 male animals carrying the allele of interest. For this technique, the TAAM uses an ABI PRISM 310 (Applied Biosystem) genetic analyzer.