Cytogenetic comparison between Vietnamese sika deer and cattle: R-banded karyotypes and FISH mapping

R-banded chromosomes of Vietnamese sika (VS) deer (Cervus nippon pseudaxis, 2N = 66), a threatened subspecies of sika deer endemic to Vietnam, are pre sented for the first time and were compared with bovine R-banded chromosome s to define a standard karyotype. Nineteen VS deer autosomes (CNP) were ide ntified on the basis of the banding pattern relative to bovine chromosomes (BTA), while hypotheses for the remaining thirteen were proposed from compa risons with the published deer genetic map, BTA 1, 2, 5, 6, 8 and 9 each eq uivalent to two separate acrocentric CNP chromosomes and BTA 26 and 28 asso ciated in a tandem fusion. To confirm these hypotheses, probes for the twen ty-nine Texas nomenclature type I markers specific for each cattle autosome , sixteen other type I and fourteen microsatellite markers were used in FIS H experiments on VS deer chromosomes. CNP7 presented the most complex rearr angement as compared with cattle chromosomes. A complete correspondence bet ween VS deer and cattle chromosomes was established and it was extended wit h a comparison with the human karyotype to transfer human map information t o this species of scientific and economic interest. Moreover, this work anc hors the deer genetic linkage map to chromosome-specific markers.