Rearranged gene order between pig and human in a quantitative trait loci region on SSC3.

A quantitative trait locus (QTL) for ovulation rate on chromosome 3 that peaks at 36 cM has been identified in a Meishan-White composite resource population with an additive effect of 2.2 corpora lutea. As part of an effort to identify the responsible gene(s), typing of additional genes on the INRA-University of Minnesota porcine radiation hybrid (IMpRH) map of SSC3 and comparative analysis of gene order was conducted. We placed 52 known genes and expressed sequence tags, two BAC-end sequences and one microsatellite (SB42) on a framework map that fills gaps on previous RH maps. Data were analysed for two-point and multipoint linkage with the IMpRH mapping tool and were submitted to the IMpRH database (http://imprh.toulouse.inra.fr/). Gene order was confirmed for 42 loci residing in the QTL region (spanning c. 17 Mb of human sequence) by using the high-resolution IMpRH2 panel. Carthagène (http://www.inra.fr/internet/departments/MIA/T/CarthaGene) was used to estimate multipoint marker distance and order using all public markers on SSC3 in the IMpRH database and those typed in this study. For the high-resolution map, only data for markers typed in both panels were used. Comparative analysis of human and porcine maps identified conservation of gene order for SSC3q and multiple blocks of conserved segments for SSC3p, which included six distinct segments of HSA7 and two segments of HSA16. The results of this study allow significant refinement of the SSC3p region that contains an ovulation rate QTL.