Application of the differential display technique for the detection of candidate genes

The suitability of the differential displays, DD-RT-PCR, to detect ESTs rep resenting possible candidates for QTL is demonstrated by two approaches. Fi rst DD-RT-PCRs were applied on muscle RNA pools of animals being phenotypic extremes in the trait ,,eye muscle area,,. Six potential candidate genes/E STs were detected. The second approach dealt with the identification of EST s preferentially expressed in liver, where various key enzymes of important metabolic cycles are active. Until now 50 such ESTs were sequenced, 37 hav e already been mapped in a the somatic cell hybrid panel. These ESTs repres ent interesting tools for use in QTL analyses.