New Mutations in Beef Cattle

Abstract

Mutation rates are estimated in the range of 10⁴-10⁶ per generation. This suggests that mutations recur at regular intervals, and inherited phenotypes are likely to emerge or recur in unique breeding populations. In spite of these probabilities, recurrent mutations are not often documented. Syndactyly is a recent example of two mutations that emerged independently in Holstein and Angus cattle. In syndactyly, cattle are born with fused claws. Crossbreeding trials demonstrated the mutation, to be allelic but the phenotypes are distinct, suggesting unique mutations.