AN AUTOSOMAL GENETIC LINKAGE MAP OF THE SHEEP GENOME

Authors: CRAWFORD A M - OTAGO UNIV., NZ; DODDS K G - AGRESEARCH INVERMAY AGRIC; PIERSON C A - OTAGO UNIV., NZ; EDE A J - OTAGO UNIV., NZ; MONTGOMERY G W - OTAGO UNIV., NZ; GARMONSWAY H G - OTAGO UNIV., NZ; KAPPES S M - 5438-01-30; STONE R T - 5438-01-30; BEATTIE C W - 5438-01-30

Submitted to: Genetics
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/10/1995
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: We report the first extensive genetic linkage map for sheep with 246 markers. The map consists of 31 linkage groups covering 2070 cM and all 26 autosomal chromosomes are represented. The chromosomal conservation between cattle and sheep has been exploited by using 126 microsatellite markers from cattle. This map represents the first detailed comparison of marker order and distance between the two species and should be the basis for further comparisons that will benefit the construction of high resolution genetic linkage maps and the search for quantitative trait loci (QTL) in both species.

Technical Abstract: We report the first extensive ovine genetic linkage map covering 2070 cM of the sheep genome. The map was generated from the segregation analysis of 246 polymorphic markers, in nine, three generation full-sib pedigrees which comprise the AgResearch International Mapping Flock. We have exploited many markers from cattle so that valuable comparisons between these two ruminant linkage maps can be made. The markers, used in the segregation analyses, comprised 86 anonymous microsatellite markers derived from the sheep genome, 126 anonymous microsatellites from cattle, 1 from deer, and 33 polymorphic markers of various types associated with known genes. The maximum number of informative meioses within the mapping flock was 222. The average number of informative meioses per marker was 140 (Range 18-209). Linkage groups have been assigned to all 26 sheep autosomes.