CHROMOSOME MAPPING - RADIATION HYBRID DATA AND STOCHASTIC SPIN MODELS

This work approaches human chromosome mapping by developing algorithms for ordering markers associated with radiation hybrid data. Motivated by the recent work of Boehnke, Lange, and Cox [Am. J. Hum. Genet. 49, 1174 (1991)], we formulate the ordering problem by developing stochastic spin models to search for minimum-break marker configurations. In one particular application, the methods developed are applied to 14 human chromosome-21 markers tested by Cox et al. [Science 250, 245 (1990)]. The methods generate configurations consistent with the best ones found by others. Additionally, we find that the set of low-lying configurations is described by a Markov-like ordering probability distribution. The distribution displays duster correlations reflecting closely linked loci.