A genetic linkage map of the baboon (Papio hamadryas) genome based on human microsatellite polymorphisms

A first-generation genetic linkage map of the baboon (Papio hamadryas) geno me was developed for use in biomedical and evolutionary genetics. Pedigreed baboons (n = 694) were selected from the breeding colony maintained by the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research. To facilitate comparison wit h the human genome, the baboon linkage map consists primarily of human micr osatellite loci amplified using published human PCR primers. Genotypes for 325 human microsatellites and 6 novel baboon microsatellites were used in l inkage analyses performed with the MultiMap expert system, The resulting se x-averaged meiotic recombination map covers all 20 baboon autosomes, with a verage spacing among loci of 7.2 cM. Direct comparison among homologous (or thologous) loci reveals that, for 7 human autosomes, locus order is conserv ed between humans and baboons. For the other 15 autosomes, one or more rear rangements distinguish the two genomes. The total centimorgan distances amo ng homologous markers are 28.0% longer in the human genome than in the babo on, suggesting that rates of recombination may be higher in humans. This ba boon linkage map is the first reported for any nonhuman primate species and creates opportunities for mapping quantitative trait loci in baboons, as w ell as for comparative evolutionary analyses of genome structure. (C) 2000 Academic Press.