GENE-MAPPING STRATEGY - THE PIG AS AN EXAMPLE

Gene mapping of economically important animal species involves first defining a network of genetic markers evenly spaced along the genome, some of which should be precisely localized on the chromosomes. Of the different sources of polymorphism available on the genome, microsatellites are the most interesting. They are highly polymorphic, spread along the genome and their study can be automated. This knowledge will provide new tools and need the development of new concepts in the fields of quantitative and population genetics. The first expected applications are: an early evalution of genotypes; the discovery of genome regions involved in the variability of quantitative characters; an improvement of the methods of animal identification and relationship verification; and an estimation of breed genetic diversity. The analysis of the genome coding parts completes this marker network. It allows different mammalian genomes to be compared and information concerning the human map to be used. The final goal is to isolate genes important for animal production.