Minisatellites, or DNA finger-printing sequences, have been utilized in ani
mal linkage studies for several years but have not been used as markers for
plant genome mapping. In animal genome mapping they have resulted in limit
ed success because they are evenly dispersed in some species but are often
clustered near telomeric regions, as observed on human chromosomes. The pur
pose of the present study was to generate DNA fingerprints utilizing severa
l rice-derived minisatellites containing different core sequences and numbe
rs of repeat units, followed by assessing their potential for use as geneti
c markers when I-napped to a lice recombinant inbred line (RIL) population.
Sites of segregating minisatellite loci were mapped onto 11 of the 12 rice
Rn linkage maps. The implications for the use of rice minisatellite core s
equences as genetic markers on linkage maps in lice are discussed.