Construction and characterization of a large insert porcine YAC library

• Published in: Mammalian genome 1997-01, Vol.8 (1), p.50-51
• Main Authors: Alexander, L J, Smith, T P, Beattie, C W, Broom, M F
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Chromosomes, Artificial, Yeast; Gene Library; Saccharomyces cerevisiae - genetics; Swine - genetics
• ISSN: 0938-8990; 1432-1777
• DOI: 10.1007/s003359900347

The recent construction of genetic linkage maps of the porcine genome allows the assignment of loci affecting heritable traits of economic importance (ETLs) to specific chromosomal segments. Markers can thus be identified that may be useful in marker-assisted selection (MAS) to increase the frequency of favorable allele(s) in resource populations. In addition, mapping of these loci creates the opportunity to identify gene(s) influencing a trait, through positional cloning or positional candidate gene approaches. A positional cloning strategy requires the construction of contigs that physically span large sections of chromosomes. In the human and mouse systems, contig construction has depended on the availability of multiple YAC libraries that provide depth of coverage to minimize the impact of chimeric and deleted clones inherent in these libraries. A single porcine genomic YAC library has been reported, but contains only one genome coverage, which limits the ability to make large contigs. We report the construction of a porcine YAC library, with approximately 5.5-fold coverage of the genome and a low rate of chimerism, that provides an additional resource for contig construction and positional cloning.