Colony Management

Genotyping and Genetic Analysis

Taconic Biosciences' Genetics Sciences team perform state-of-the-art molecular characterization assays throughout the breeding of every colony to ensure that animal model integrity and quality are maintained.

Reliable results depend on having the right tools and research materials. Taconic helps ensure your mouse or rat models have the desired genetic profile through a variety of assays and techniques.

During your consultation with the Project team, we will create an appropriate genotyping and molecular analysis strategy to support your study.

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genotyping machine

Genotyping Services

Inherent to breeding mice and rats is the need for regular genotyping. Accuracy, speed, and access to genotyping data are paramount to proper management of your breeding project. Through an exclusive distributorship with Transnetyx Inc., your Colony Management project has access to all of the services and advantages that Transnetyx offers. In addition to Transnetyx, Taconic also offers genotyping assay design and optimization services, zygosity testing, and transgene characterization. All genotyping services are overseen by PhD molecular biologists and geneticists. Taconic also offers a comprehensive range of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis services to allow you to better determine the genetic background of your study animals.

  • Exclusive distributorship with Transnetyx Inc. allows for high-throughput genotyping services with electronic access to data
  • Comprehensive panel of genotyping capabilities which includes conventional and real-time PCR
  • Assay transfer services to optimize existing assays to our platforms, consultation and collaborative assay development and optimization services

To obtain genotyping protocols, please use the Contact Us form or our Live Chat service and provide confirmation of your order. This confirmation could be in the form of a sales order number, purchase order number, or another combination of order details, e.g. organization name, principal investigator, strain quantity, or date received.

Taconic's Terms and Conditions for Models, Products and Services generally restricts breeding and cross-breeding of commercial models, unless additional rights have been granted in writing by Taconic.

Please review the Licensing information listed on the specific web page for your model. Researchers interested in breeding and/or crossing a Taconic model are advised to inquire about limited breeding agreement options.

Taconic is unable to provide technical support for our genotyping protocols.

PCR Genotyping

Traditional PCR

  • Robust method for distinguishing a wide variety of mutant and transgenic lines
  • Ideal for genotyping many types of rodent models including knockouts, knock-ins, and transgenes
  • DNA is extracted from a tail for ear tissue biopsy before amplification, and results are usually available within 5 business days

Real-time PCR

  • Genotyping with this technique can distinguish the presence or absence of specific alleles
  • Best suited for detecting very precise mutations and can also be used to distinguished larger genetic modifications such as gene knockouts, knock-ins, and transgenes
  • DNA is extracted from a tail or ear tissue biopsy before amplification, and results are usually available within 5 business days

Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP)

RFLP genotyping is used to distinguish sequence-specific mutations when the mutation alters a restriction enzyme cut site. This technique is most useful for projects where detecting single base pair changes are essential and real-time PCR is unavailable.

  • Requires extremely specific sequences and used for specialized assays
  • Can be used to identify CRISPR knock-in mutations
  • DNA is extracted from a tail for ear tissue biopsy before amplification, and results are usually available within 5 business

Sequencing

Sequencing is available for analyzing specific nucleotide sequences of one of the alleles in an assay. This service is ideal for projects that have new mutant lines where the sequence of the mutation may be variable due to founder transmission. Sequencing helps to characterize the mutations so that they can be grouped into uniform lines.

  • Can be used to characterize new mutant lines
  • Verifies the exact sequence of an allele
  • DNA is extracted from a tail for ear tissue biopsy before amplification, and results are usually available within 10 to 15 business days

Talk to a Taconic Scientist

References:

De Vree, P. J. P. et al. Targeted sequencing by proximity ligation for comprehensive variant detection and local haplotyping. Nat. Biotechnol. 32, 1019-1025 (2014)10.1038/nbt.2959.

Cain-Hom, C. et al. Efficient mapping of transgene integration sites and local structural changes in Cre transgenic mice using targeted locus amplification. Nucleic Acids Res. 45, (2017)10.1093/nar/gkw1329.