High-throughput genetic mapping of mutants via quantitative single nucleotide polymorphism typing.

Advances in next-generation sequencing technology have facilitated the discovery of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Sequenom-based SNP-typing assays were developed for 1359 maize SNPs identified via comparative next-generation transcriptomic sequencing. Approximately 75% of these SNPs were successfully converted into genetic markers that can be scored reliably and used to generate a SNP-based genetic map by genotyping recombinant inbred lines from the intermated B73 x Mo17 population. The quantitative nature of Sequenom-based SNP assays led to the development of a time- and cost-efficient strategy to genetically map mutants via quantitative bulked segregant analysis. This strategy was used to rapidly map the loci associated with several dozen recessive mutants. Because a mutant can be mapped using as few as eight multiplexed sets of SNP assays on a bulk of as few as 20 mutant F(2) individuals, this strategy is expected to be widely adopted for mapping in many species.