Author
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Cheng, Hans |
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Submitted to: Poultry Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 12/13/1996 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: This paper reviews the current status of the East Lansing genetic map of the chicken. A genetic map contains genetic markers that act as landmarks to locate genes of economic importance. The quality of the map increases as more markers are placed. Furthermore, different types of markers are useful for different purposes. Presently, the East Lansing genetic map contains 544 genetic markers. Two hundred and seventy four of these genetic markers are very useful for locating genes of economic importance which gives a good probability of finding most of the genes. Ninety seven of the genetic markers are very useful for comparing the genetic makeup of different species. Future improvements in the map are described including efforts to place more genetic markers and to align the genetic map with other chicken maps. Technical Abstract: Most economically important traits are genetically complex and controlled by numerous genes. A quality genetic map is a prerequisite for identifying quantitative trait loci (QTL) that contain the genes involved in these traits. Currently, there are two internationally recognized reference families that are used to build genetic maps. In this paper, the East Lansing (EL) genetic map is described in detail. Presently, the EL genetic map contains 544 genetic markers of which 522 are resolved into 42 linkage groups. The map coverage within linkage groups is over 2,500 cM which is about the estimated size of the chicken genome. There are 274 microsatellite markers which greatly enhances the utility of this genetic map for genome-wide QTL searches. Also, 97 genes have been mapped which will aid in the development of a comparative map. Further efforts to improve the genetic map and the potential for the map to identify QTL are discussed. |
