COSMID-DERIVED MARKERS ANCHORING THE BOVINE GENETIC-MAP TO THE PHYSICAL MAP

The mapping strategy for the bovine genome described in this paper use s large insert clones as a tool for physical mapping and as a source o f highly polymorphic microsatellites for genetic typing, and was one o bjective of the BovMap Project funded by the European Union (UE). Eigh t-three cosmid and phage clones were characterized and used to physica lly anchor the linkage groups defining all the bovine autosomes and th e X Chromosome (Chr). By combining physical and genetic mapping, clone s described in this paper have led to the identification of the linkag e groups corresponding to Chr 9, 12, 16, and 25. In addition, anchored loci from this study were used to orient the linkage groups correspon ding to Chr 3, 7, 8, 9, 13, 16, 18, 19, and 28 as identified in previo usly published maps. Comparison of the estimated size of the physical and linkage maps suggests that the genetic length of the bovine genome may be around 4000 cM.