The genetics group offers a variety of genetic analyses to serve our clients in the fields of agriculture, fisheries, food production, and others.
The group also conducts extensive research on the genetics of Icelandic ecosystems, including with the aim of developing new analytical methods and services.
Genetic testing for livestock
Matís conducts a variety of genetic analyses for livestock, primarily for sheep, horses and cattle. These include screening for genetic markers associated with diseases and fertility, and for confirmation of parentage. Information obtained from the analyses is used e.g., in the context of breeding, and thus the analyses contribute to strengthening Icelandic livestock populations.
Further information about individual genetic tests can be accessed by clicking on the links below:
Matís offers genetic analyses to determine parentage for horses, cattle and sheep. The analyses are a valuable tool in breeding and value creation in animal husbandry. The methodology involved is based on microsatellite fragment analysis.
Bógkreppa is a serious genetic defect affecting sheep that is characterized by severely deformed front legs. Most lambs born with the disease are therefore killed shortly after birth. Because the genetic defect is recessive, the defective gene can remain hidden in flocks and it is impossible to eradicate it without genetic testing.
In collaboration with RML and Keldur, Matís has participated in research projects aimed at identifying the genetic defect that causes bógkreppa and to develop a genetic test for its screening. Since the fall of 2025 Matís has offered genetic analyses for bógkreppa.
Yellow fat is caused by a mutation in a gene that breaks down certain yellow compounds and causes the fat in sheep to take on a yellowish color. The yellow fat has no effect on taste, but some slaughterhouses will not accept animals that show this genetic defect, which can therefore cause financial losses for individual farmers. Because the genetic defect is recessive, the defective gene can be hidden in flocks and it is impossible to eradicate the defect without genetic testing. Matís offers genetic testing for yellow fat.
Two genetic variants are known in Icelandic sheep that affect fertility in dams: Þoku- and Lóugen. These are mutations in the same gene. When the variants are in a heterozygous state, the fertility of dams increases significantly and it is common for them to have three or four offspring. This genetic test is therefore a very important tool in breeding. Matís has offered analyses of this trait for years.
Matís has offered genotyping of the prion protein gene in sheep since the company was founded. Scrapie is a prion disease that was first detected in Icelandic sheep over a century ago. Prion diseases are different from bacterial and viral diseases as the pathogen is a protein. It therefore contains no genetic material. The pathogen changes the structure of a natural prion protein that is important in the nervous system of mammals. In a specific region of the prion gene, there are 6 sites that have been associated with the susceptibility of sheep to scrapie. Knowledge of the genotype of sheep, with respect of the prion gene, is very important in breeding and for the response of the Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority when scrapie infection is detected in a flock.
The Farmers' Association in Iceland and the Agricultural Advisory Centre (RML) have been working for several years on the incorporation of genetic information in cattle breeding, and Matís is responsible for obtaining the genetic data used in this work. The method used for genetic analysis in this case is microarray analysis, which provides information on tens of thousands of genetic variations for each individual.
In short, breeding in cattle has the aim of finding and using the best bulls for breeding. In that context, the best bulls are those that produce the best daughters, i.e. those that produce high yields of milk, and are healthy and fertile. Genetic information can be used to determine the quality of a bull right after birth. This methodology therefore greatly speeds up the breeding process.
Matís offers genetic analyses to determine parentage for horses, cattle and sheep. The analyses are a valuable tool in breeding and value creation in animal husbandry. The methodology involved is based on microsatellite fragment analysis.
Matís staff conducts intensive research in the field of genetics and related disciplines, striving, among other things, to identify genetic variations that can lead to the development of new opportunities for genetic analysis of livestock and other animals.
The group is well-equipped, and has at its disposal, among other things, a Sanger sequencer, a second-generation sequencer (MiSeq), a third-generation sequencer (Oxford Nanopore), qPCR machines, an iScan microarray analyzer, etc.
If you are interested in utilizing genetic analysis of animals or food, Matís staff is always ready to look for ways to design and/or implement new methods.
Genetic testing for food
Matís performs species identification for food manufacturers. The analysis is based on partial sequencing of the COI gene and comparison with international databases. The analysis provides information about the likely organismal origin of the food – for example, whether a particular fish fillet may be cod, haddock or some other species. Foreign customers of Icelandic food manufacturers often require these analyses in order to avoid species fraud.
Genetic analysis of salmon
Matís offers genetic analyses for salmon that can be used to reveal their likely origin – e.g., in the context of whether a particular salmon originates from a salmon farm or if it is wild from an Icelandic river. The methodology involved is based on microsatellite fragment analysis.
The analysis is used by relevant institutions in Iceland to identify salmon that have escaped from sea farms and are caught in rivers.
Other genetic tests & equipment
Matís staff conducts intensive research in the field of genetics and related disciplines, striving, among other things, to identify genetic variations that can lead to the development of new opportunities for genetic analysis of livestock and other animals.
The group is well-equipped, and has at its disposal, among other things, a Sanger sequencer, a second-generation sequencer (MiSeq), a third-generation sequencer (Oxford Nanopore), qPCR machines, an iScan microarray analyzer, etc.
If you are interested in utilizing genetic analysis of animals or food, Matís staff is always ready to look for ways to design and/or implement new methods.
Genetics – Basic research
The genetics group at Matís conducts various basic research projects in collaboration with both domestic and foreign research institutions and companies. Matís has a long history of collaboration with the Marine & Freshwater Research Institute (MFRI), especially on the population genetics of commercial fish in Iceland such as herring, mackerel and Greenland halibut. Matís has also participated in research collaborations on genetic admixture between Langreyður and Steypireyður, genetics-based analysis of salmon migration routes and to search for capelin using environmental DNA (eDNA). In collaboration with the Freshwater Division of MFRI, Matís has worked on the population structure of Icelandic salmon, analyses of genetic admixture between farmed and wild salmon, and the development of a method for the detection of farmed salmon using single nucleotide polymorphism. Further, collaboration with MFRI includes large-scale environmental genomic studies (BioProtect, VS-eDNA) on the biodiversity of fish, marine mammals and invertebrates in the oceans around Iceland, which is intended to help inform on potential protection areas in the ocean.BioProtect, VS-eDNA) um líffræðilegafjölbreytileika fiska, sjávarspendýra og hryggleysingja í hafinu umhverfis Ísland en verkefninu er ætlað að hjálpa við skipulagningu verndarsvæða í hafi.
In collaboration with RORUM and the aquaculture industry, Matís has worked on projects using genetic methods to investigate the effects of sea pen farming on the benthic habitat beneath sea pens and the effects of rest periods on the benthic habitat. We are also working on projects to study salmon lice in seawater associated with sea pen farming using eDNA based methods, with the goal of being able to assess salmon lice loads in fish farms.
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Selection of published articles by group:
Ingerid Julie Hagen, Kjetil Hindar, Geir Hysing Bolstad, Yann Czorlich, Ola H. Diserud, Bjørn Florø-Larsen, Davíð Gíslason, Kevin Glover, Leó Alexander Guðmundsson, Celeste Jacq, Guðbjörg Ólafsdóttir, Stig William Omholt, Monica Favnebøe Solberg, Sæmundur Sveinsson, Harald Sægrov, Kurt Urdal, Sten Karlsson. Genetic Markers for Tracing Introgression of Farmed Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) in Wild Conspecifics – (2025). Molecular Ecology Resources, e70065.
Hilmar J. Malmquist, Karl Gunnarsson, Davíð Gíslason, Sæmundur Sveinsson, Joana Micael, Sindri Gíslason. Sindraskel (Ensis terranovensis) – nýr landnemi í sjó við Ísland – (2024). The naturalist, 94(1-2).
Christophe Pampoulie, Aril Slotte, Guðmundur J. Óskarsson, Guðbjörg Ólafsdóttir, Jan Arge Jacobsen, Hóraldur Joensen, Sindri Karl Sigurðsson, Sæmundur Sveinsson, Leif Andersson, Anna Kristín Daníelsdóttir and Davíð Gíslason. Discriminating populations of Atlantic herring mixing in the Norwegian Sea feeding ground using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) – (2024). Marine Ecology Progress Series, Vol. 739, 227-240. 10.3354/meps14619.
Christophe Pampoulie, Warsha Singh, Kristinn Guðnason, Birkir Bárðarson, Guðbjörg Ólafsdóttir, Þorri Þórarinsson, Sæmundur Sveinsson, Davíð Gíslason. Detection and distribution of the North Atlantic capelin (Mallotus villosus) using environmental DNA—comparison with data from the main fishery management survey – (2023). https://doi.org/10.1002/edn3.415
Pampoulie, C., Gíslason, D., Ólafsdóttir, G., Chosson, V., Halldórsson, SD, Mariani, S., Elvarsson, B. Þ., Rasmussen, MH, Iversen, MR, Daníelsdóttir, AK, & Víkingsson , GA. Evidence of unidirectional hybridization and second‐generation adult hybrid between the two largest animals on Earth, the fin and blue whales. – (2020). Evolutionary Applications, August, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.13091.
Gíslason, D., Helyar SJ, Óskarsson G., Ólafsdóttir G., Slotte A., Jensen T., Jacobsen JA, Ólafsson K., Skírnisdóttir, S., Dahle, G., Siegstad, H., Joensen H., Curti, KL, Grégoire, F., Masse, J., Sveinsson, S., Daníelsdóttir AK, Pampoulie C .. The genetic composition of feeding aggregations of the Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) in the central north Atlantic: a microsatellite loci approach (Scomber scombrus, L) – (2020). ICES Journal of Marine Science, 77, 604-612.
