THEORETICAL AND EMPIRICAL ISSUES FOR MARKER-ASSISTED BREEDING OF CONGENIC MOUSE STRAINS

Congenic breeding strategies are becoming increasingly important as a greater number of complex trait linkages are identified. Traditionally , the development od a congenic strain Ras been a time-consuming endea vour, requiring ten generations of backcrosses. The recent advent of a dense molecular genetic map of the mouse permits methods that can red uce the time needed for congenic-strain production by 18-24 months. We present a theoretical evaluation of marker-assisted congenic producti on and provide the empirical data that support it. We present this 'sp eed congenic' method in a user-friendly manner to encourage other inve stigators to pursue this or similar methods of congenic production.