Viability of fibroblasts from "Curraleiro Pé Duro" cattle after different cryopreservation protocols

Abstract

The breed Curraleiro Pé-Duro was named after research revealed the genetic equality of the Curraleiro and the Pé-Duro cattle (Carvalho et al., 2012). It is one of the most important cattle breeds in the history of the northeastern hinterland and the São Francisco valley, present for almost 500 years in the Northeast of Brazil (Santiago, 1975). The conservation of native breeds directly reflects on the environment and culture, making up a genetic, historical, and cultural heritage. Crossing between breeds for new strains can subdue the real potential of a native breed (Fioravanti, 2015), which with a relatively small number of individuals, the loss of genetic material can occur even with the death of a single individual, reducing the gene pool and even genes important for the maintenance of the species (Martins et al., 2007)