Abstract :
Goats are usually raised under harsh environmental conditions and have a unique ability
to take advantage of marginal areas. The diversity of goat genetic resources throughout the
world reflects their adaptation to very different production systems, with a predominance
of native breeds, often in danger of extinction, very well adapted to local conditions. There
is an urgent need to establish programs aimed at the characterization, conservation and
sustainable utilization of those genetic resources, and recent developments in the different
branches of biotechnology may provide the opportunity for new approaches to achieve
those goals. Biotechnologies can further enhance genetic improvement programs, provide
tools to ensure the integrity of procedures in goat production, foster opportunities for new
products to be developed and support animal health control. Of the biotechnologies currently
available, genetic markers, genetic modifications and reproductive technologies are
the ones with more potential for the sustainable management of goat genetic resources. For
example, artificial insemination and embryo transfer/cryopreservation are essential in conservation
and very useful in selection programs, while genetic modifications are primarily
applied to obtain recombinant proteins with pharmaceutical or nutraceutical properties.
Genetic markers, including neutral, sex-specific and non-neutral markers, as well as single
nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), are essential for the appropriate management of
goat genetic resources, especially in activities related to their characterization and conservation,
and specific genetic markers, such as polymorphisms in the s1-casein locus or
in the PrP gene, can be used to strengthen selection programs. Recently, the availability
of high-density marker panels which allow the simultaneous detection of thousands of
SNPs, opened the possibility of practicing genomic selection, which could increase tremendously
the rates of genetic progress currently achieved. Nevertheless, the costs involved
are high, and the appropriate definition of breeding objectives, including fitness-related
traits, remains a crucial issue, especially for goats. The integration of biotechnologies in
goat breeding programs in extensive systems is challenging, as it requires an appropriate
organization of the breeding and production systems, which could be based on a simplification
of performance recording and the adoption of a flexible open nucleus breeding system.
