AUTOMATED CONSTRUCTION OF GENETIC-LINKAGE MAPS USING AN EXPERT-SYSTEM(MULTIMAP) - A HUMAN GENOME LINKAGE MAP

High-resolution genetic linkage maps are indispensable for positional cloning of disease genes. Current procedures for map construction, alt hough aided considerably by many existing computer programs, require e xtensive user-intervention at each of many repetitive steps. This is t ime consuming, labour intensive and increases the chance of error. We have developed an expert system computer program, MultiMap, which auto mates this step-by- step procedure. MultiMap is based on a novel map c onstruction algorithm and allows investigator control of marker locus characteristics, such as informativeness, scorability or distance to n earest neighbours. We used MultiMap to construct a human genetic map a t an average resolution of 6 cM, using published genotypes at 1266 mic rosatellite markers, and further extended this map by adding 397 VNTR and polymorphic gene markers.