PIG GENOME UPDATE No. 5 March 1, 1994 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Congratulations to Drs. Gary Rohrer, Craig Beattie and all their colleagues at the USDA Meat Animal Research Center for the publication of their pig microsatellite linkage map (Genetics 136:231-245) and to Dr. Mike Bishop and colleagues for the publication of their cattle microsatellite linkage map (Genetics 136:619-639). Both papers represent a great deal of effort and will contribute to the overall gene mapping efforts of all labs participating in the NRSP-8. These aren't the only maps which will be available soon. The PiGMaP map will be finished soon and represents another large set of genes and additional cattle gene maps are being published. Congratulations also are in order for Dr. Jim Womack, Cattle Genome Coordinator. Jim has been presented with the "CIBA Prize for Research in Animal Health" presented to him by CIBA-GEIGY Animal Health Division for his work entitled "Mapping the Bovine Genome." Jim received the award and he and his wife and family were hosted in Basel, Switzerland in early February. USPIGBASE is up and running. We have begun to input recently published data. This is a laborious process but the database is growing. Dr. Lizhen Wang who joined our group is helping to input the published materials. Discussions with PiGMaP coordinators on working together on the database are also underway. Sometimes you may experience a software problem but just notify us and we will try to help you or resolve the problem. As has been mentioned before anyone may register to use it free of charge. Manuals and information for the database can be requested by E-mail to me at mfrothsc@iastate.edu or to Lizhen at wangl@iastate.edu. Your comments are always welcome. A very successful conference on Comparative Gene Mapping in Terrestrial and Aquatic Vertebrates was held in Norway, February 7-11. It attracted 150 participants (many of them NRSP-8 members) from a variety of disciplines in human and animal genetics. Twenty-six invited lectures and 54 posters focused on advanced technologies, genome evolution, genome diversity, disease genetics and applications of comparative maps to agriculture and medicine. Proceedings will be published in Animal Biotechnology (submitted by J. Womack). Published microsatellites for gene mapping are available through the coordinator free of charge. A total of 38 pairs have been produced today. A number of labs have received the first set of 25. If you want the whole set or just the next set please drop me a note by fax or E-mail. With the Clay Center map now published we (myself and a committee including J. Lunney, B. Kirkpatrick and D. Troyer) will be choosing many more and making them available to researchers who wish to use them for their mapping or QTL research. Internationalize your efforts: Permits to import PiGMaP family DNA from the U.K., French, Swedish and now the Dutch families (91 F2 individuals) have been obtained. Some labs have already asked for transfer permits to allow transferring of DNA. To request DNA you must agree to try to map a number of genes or markers and must apply for a transfer permit. APHIS is now charging for permits but these will be paid for by coordinator's funds. If interested, please contact the coordinator. Chinese Pig germplasm and non-germplasm may soon be available. An agreement in principle has been reached by the three importing parties for exchange of these materials and is going through the paperwork for final approval. This will allow institutions to get pigs and gene mapping materials. You will be notified when the agreements are signed. Conferences and other projects about gene mapping are excellent ways to advance gene mapping collaboration. A limited amount of funds have been put aside to help promote these endeavors. To request such funding, please send to the coordinator a letter, a copy of the proposed program and who the audience is intended to be. Conferences which are worthwhile and open to all technical committee members who wish to attend will be considered for funding if funds are available. Future Conference and Meeting Dates: * American Society of Animal Science Midwest Section, Des Moines, Iowa - March 21-23 * Future Genetics for the Livestock Industry, St. Louis, Missouri - May 4 * National breeders Roundtable, St. Louis, Missouri - May 5-6 * Joint American Society of Animal Science and American Dairy Science Association meeting, Minneapolis, Minnesota - July 11-18 * Int. Society of Animal Genetics, Prague, Czech Republic - July 23-29 * The 5th World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production, Guelph, Canada - August 7-12 * Chromosome 6 Meeting (tentative) - September 23-26 Animal Genome Technical Committee (NRSP-8) meeting (with species meeting preceding these dates), Minneapolis, Minnesota - September 22-23 Human Genome News: There is some very good information which may be of help for you with your research or in the classroom. For this information, please write HGMIS, Mailing Address, Betty K. Mansfield, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, P.O. Box 2008, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6050. Contributions to Pig Genome Update are always welcome. Please send by the 15th of the month. Max F. Rothschild Swine Genome Coordinator 225 Kildee Hall Department of Animal Science Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 50011 Phone: 515-294-6202 or 3629 Fax: 515-294-2401 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Return to Previous Menu