Noninvasive PCR sexing of neonatal rabbits selected for islet cell culture

Abstract

Fast PCR sexing of neonatal rabbits may be useful for rabbit gender management for breeding and research purposes. Buccal swabs were collected from 80 newborn rabbits and processed immediately. The buccal epithelial cells were simply lysed and used for fast PCR sex determination. Length difference of PCR products from male DNA samples allows fast and easy differentiation in agarose gel. PCR amplification on the buccal cell lysate DNA gave consistent and good results. All 80 tested rabbits were correctly sexed within 6 hours. The described method is fast, reliable and non-invasive for newborn rabbits.