Establishment of an R-banded rabbit karyotype nomenclature by FISH localization of 23 chromosome-specific genes on both G- and R-banded chromosomes.

Direct detection of fluorescent in situ hybridization signals on R-banded chromosomes stained with propidium iodide is a rapid and efficient method for constructing cytogenetic maps for species with R-banded standard karyotypes. In this paper, our aim is to establish an R-banded rabbit karyotype nomenclature that is in total agreement with the 1981 G-banded standard nomenclature. For this purpose, we have produced new GTG- and RBG-banded mid-metaphase karyotypes and an updated version of ideograms of R-banded rabbit chromosomes. In addition, to confirm correlations between G- and R-banded chromosomes, we have defined a set of 23 rabbit BAC clones, each containing a specific gene, one marker gene per rabbit chromosome, and we have localized precisely each BAC clone by FISH on both G- and R-banded chromosomes.

Construction of a swine BAC library: application to the characterization and mapping of porcine type C endoviral elements.

A porcine bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library was constructed using the pBeloBAC11 vector. It comprised 107,520 clones with an average insert size of 135 kb, representing an almost fivefold coverage of the swine haploid genome. Screening of the library allowed recovery of one to eight clones for 142 unique markers located all over the genome, while it failed for only one marker. About 4% chimeric clones were found. The library was also screened for the protease gene of type C porcine endoviral sequences (PERVs), and 62 clones were recovered, all but two of which contained one protease gene. We found 20 protease sequences (PERV-1 to PERV-20) which, despite differing by point mutations, were all coding sequences. The most frequent sequence, PERV-2, was 100% similar to a protease sequence expressed in the porcine PK-15 cell line. Most of the clones harbored envelope genes. Thirty-three BAC clones were mapped by fluorescence in situ hybridization to 22 distinct locations on 14 chromosomes, including the X and Y chromosomes. These overall results indicate that there is generally one PERV copy per integration site. Although PERV sequences were not tandemly arranged, clusters of integration sites were observed at positions 3p1.5 and 7p1.1. Southern blot experiments revealed 20-30 PERV copies in the Large White pig genome studied here, and variations in PERV content among pigs of different breeds were observed. In conclusion, this BAC collection represents a significant contribution to the swine large genomic DNA cloned insert resources and provides the first detailed map of PERV sequences in the swine genome. This work is the first step toward identification of potential active sites of PERV elements.

Construction of a swine YAC library allowing an efficient recovery of unique and centromeric repeated sequences.

A swine DNA genomic library was constructed in yeast artificial chromosome (YAC) using the pYAC4 vector and the AB1380 strain. The DNA prepared from two Large White males was partially digested with EcoRI and size selected after both digestion and ligation. The YAC library contained 33792 arrayed clones with an average size of 280 kb as estimated by analysis of 2% of the clones, thus representing a threefold coverage of the swine haploid genome. The library was organized in pools to facilitate the PCR screening. The complexity of the library was tested both for unique and centromeric repeated sequences. In all, 20 out of 22 primer sets allowed the characterization of one to six clones containing specific unique sequences. These sequences are known to be on Chromosomes (Chrs) 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 17, and X. Eight additional clones carrying centromeric repeat units were also isolated with a single primer set. The sequencing of 37 distinct repeat units of about 340 bp subcloned from these eight YACs revealed high sequence diversity indicating the existence of numerous centromeric repeat unit subfamilies in swine. Furthermore, the analysis of the restriction patterns with selected enzymes suggested a higher order organization of the repeat units. According to preliminary FISH experiments on a small number of randomly chosen YACs and YACs carrying specific sequences, the chimerism appeared to be low. In addition, primed in situ labeling experiments favored the idea that the YACs with centromeric repeat sequences were derived from a subset of metacentric and submetacentric chromosomes.

Characterization of six new loci within the swine major histocompatibility complex class III region.

A search for new potential coding sequences was conducted within two overlapping cosmid genomic DNA clusters of about 170 and 45 kb from the swine major histocompatibility complex class III region. The sequences were detected with various probes, including pools of swine cDNA, homologous and heterologous genomic sequences, and synthetic oligonucleotides. The 170 kb cluster was centered on the tumor necrosis factor genes (TNF), and the 45 kb cluster contained the heat-shock protein 70 genes (HSP70). The TNF cluster revealed the presence of five new genes: lymphotoxin beta, BAT1, BAT2, BAT3, and a sequence related to DNA-binding factors. No sequence homologous to B144 was found in the TNF cluster, although other unidentified coding sequences may be present in this cluster. The HSP70 cluster contained a gene identified as BAT6, that is, tRNA-valyl synthetase. These results provide new evidence that the genomic maps of these various genes in the TNF and HSP70 sub-regions are similar in swine and human.