GENETIC SIMILARITY USING DNA FINGERPRINTING IN CATTLE TO DETERMINE RELATIONSHIP COEFFICIENT

The relation between relationship coefficient and genetic similarity w as evaluated using DNA fingerprinting in Japanese Black cattle. We pro posed a new method for evaluating heterozygous and homozygous minisate llite loci. Genetic similarity by DNA fingerprinting was estimated by two methods-band sharing (BS) and a new evaluation called genetic simi larity (GS). Linear regressions of the relationship coefficient (y) on levels of BS (x1) and GS (x2) yielded the equations y = 0.049 + 0.684 x1 and y = -0.206 + 1.149x2, with highly significant correlation coeff icients of .631 and .813, respectively. It was suggested that DNA fing erprinting could be applied to estimate the relationship coefficient n ot only in cattle but also in other species.