Polymorphism Analysis of Microsatellites Associated with Seven Candidate Genes for Equine Cryptorchidism

Association of seven candidate genes with cryptorchidism was investigated in the Thoroughbred. A pedigree composed of 23 cryptorchids and 24 nonaffected horses, sharing a common ancestor, was constituted. Sixteen microsatellite markers were developed either from bacterial artificial chromosomes (BAC) isolated for each candidate gene or by in silico screening. DNA from our pedigree was genotyped for these microsatellites. Statistical analysis of the allelic and genotypic frequencies observed with these markers did not reveal any association between the candidate genes and the cryptorchidism phenotype in our horse panel.