The genetic similarity between animals of two Brazilian bovine breeds (Crioulo Lageano e Junqueira) was estimated based on random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) using animals belonging to commercial breeds of the species Bos taurus and B. indicus as reference (outgroups). A matrix of genetic similarity was obtained and displayed as a dendrogram, which was defined after bootstrap resampling statistics. Contrary to what was expected based on the mophological similarities of the two breeds, the Crioulo Lageano and Junqueira animals do not show high levels of genetic similarity when compared to animals of other commercial breeds. The data indicate that the two breeds had different genetic contributions during the process of breed development.
bovines; molecular markers; genetic distance; RAPD
