Validation of 17 Microsatellite Markers for Parentage Verification and Identity Test in Chinese Holstein Cattle

To develop an efficient DNA typing system for Chinese Holstein cattle, 17 microsatellites, which were amplified in four fluorescent multiplex reactions and genotyped by two capillary electrophoresis injections, were evaluated for parentage verification and identity test. These markers were highly polymorphic with a mean of 8.35 alleles per locus and an average expected heterozygosity of 0.711 in 371 individuals. Parentage exclusion probability with only one sampled parent was approximately 0.999. Parentage exclusion probability when another parent' genotype was known was over 0.99999. Overall probability of identity, i.e. the probability that two animals share a common genotype by chance, was $1.52{\times}10^{-16}$. In a test case of parentage assignment, the 17 loci assigned 31 out of 33 cows to the pedigree sires with 95% confidence, while 2 cows were excluded from the paternity relationship with candidate sires. The results demonstrated the high efficacy of the 17 markers in parentage analysis and individual identification for Chinese Holstein cattle.