Plant & Animal Genome VI Conference

W23

MICRODISSECTION OF HORSE CHROMOSOMES FOR AN ORDERLY EXPANSION OF THE EQUINE GENE MAP

Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Box 7023, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden

Chromosome microdissection in horse (ECA) has as yet been carried out only for ECA1 (Millon et al., unpublished). The library thus constructed has helped in adding markers to the equine gene map. Since then, the technique has not been exploited to the advantage of the horse gene mapping efforts. During the recent past, we have successfully microdissected some whole chromosomes and arms of equine chromosomes (ECA1p, ECA1q, ECA2, ECA3 and ECA12). Hybridization of the DOP-PCR amplified and labelled painting probes generated after microdissection, back to equine metaphase chromosomes, show that the probes are true to their origin. Libraries are being constructed for these segments/chromosomes. Attempts are also underway to add five more equine chromosomes to this group. The latter primarily include those chromosomes where no markers have as yet been mapped. It is envisaged that the libraries thus produced will be used to generate markers in an orderly way, by concentrating on individual horse chromosomes.