Bovine Chromosome (bovine + chromosome)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Fine mapping of a quantitative trait locus on chromosome 9 affecting non-return rate in Swedish dairy cattle

JOURNAL OF ANIMAL BREEDING AND GENETICS, Issue 5 2007
M. Holmberg
Summary We previously mapped a quantitative trait locus (QTL) affecting the trait non-return rate at 56 days in heifers to bovine chromosome 9. The purpose of this study was to confirm and refine the position of the QTL by using a denser marker map and fine mapping methods. Five families that previously showed segregation for the QTL were included in the study. The mapping population consisted of 139 bulls in a granddaughter design. All bulls were genotyped for 25 microsatellite markers surrounding the QTL on chromosome 9. We also analysed the correlated trait number of inseminations per service period in heifers. Both traits describe the heifer's ability to become pregnant after insemination. Linkage analysis, linkage disequilibrium and combined linkage and linkage disequilibrium analysis were used to analyse the data. Analysis of the families jointly by linkage analysis resulted in a significant but broad QTL peak for non-return rate. Results from the combined analysis gave a sharp QTL peak with a well-defined maximum in between markers BMS1724 and BM7209, at the same position as where the highest peak from the linkage disequilibrium analysis was found. One of the sire families segregated clearly at this position and the difference in effects between the two sire haplotypes was 2.9 percentage units in non-return rate. No significant results were found for the number of inseminations in the combined analysis. [source]


Sex determination in cattle based on simultaneous amplification of a new male-specific DNA sequence and an autosomal locus using the same primers

MOLECULAR REPRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT, Issue 1 2001
Rosemarie Weikard
Abstract A PCR-based method for sex determination of bovine DNA samples and embryo biopsies is presented. Using only one primer pair both the male-specific sequence FBNY (127 bp) and a sex-independent control PCR-fragment, the microsatellite marker FBN17 (136,140 bp) are generated in the same PCR reaction. Synteny mapping assigned the male-specific sequence to bovine chromosome Y (BTA Y), whereas FBN17 was mapped to bovine chromosome 2. Localisation of FBNY on BTA Y was confirmed by fluorescence in hybridisation of two BAC clones containing the male-specific sequence. There was no amplification of the male-specific target sequence FBNY in sheep, pig, goat, mice, man, and several wild species of the tribe Bovini. The bovine male-specific fragment was detected in dilutions containing as little as 10 pg genomic DNA and in blastomeres from embryo biopsies. The PCR assay presented here does require neither restriction endonuclease digestion of the PCR product nor additional nested PCR steps. Owing to the advantage of parallel amplification of the autosomal locus FBN17 no additional control fragment is necessary to detect PCR failure. The results of sex determination in embryo biopsies using FBNY were in agreement with the outcome from a reference assay used in commercial breeding programs. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 60: 13,19, 2001. İ 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Genetic heterogeneity at the bovine KIT gene in cattle breeds carrying different putative alleles at the spotting locus

ANIMAL GENETICS, Issue 3 2010
L. Fontanesi
Summary According to classical genetic studies, piebaldism in cattle is largely influenced by the allelic series at the spotting locus (S), which includes the SH (Hereford pattern), S+ (non-spotted) and s (spotted) alleles. The S locus was mapped on bovine chromosome 6 in the region containing the KIT gene. We investigated the KIT gene, analysing its variability and haplotype distribution in cattle of three breeds (Angus, Hereford and Holstein) with different putative alleles (S+, SH and s respectively) at the S locus. Resequencing of a whole of 0.485 Mb revealed 111 polymorphisms. The global nucleotide diversity was 0.087%. Tajima's D- values were negative for all breeds, indicating putative directional selection. Of the 28 inferred haplotypes, only five were observed in the Hereford breed, in which one was the most frequent. Coalescent simulation showed that it is highly unlikely (P < 10E-6) to obtain this low number of haplotypes conditionally on the observed number of segregating SNPs. Therefore, the neutral model could be rejected for the Hereford breed, suggesting that a selection sweep occurred at the KIT locus. Twelve haplotypes were inferred in Holstein and Angus. For these two breeds, the neutral model could not be rejected. High heterogeneity of the KIT gene was confirmed from a phylogenetic analysis. Our results suggest a role of the KIT gene in determining the SH allele(s) in the Hereford, but no evidence of selective sweep was obtained in Holstein, suggesting that complex mechanisms (or other genes) might be the cause of the spotted phenotype in this breed. [source]


Assignment of the locus for arachnomelia syndrome to bovine chromosome 23 in Simmental cattle

ANIMAL GENETICS, Issue 6 2009
J. Buitkamp
Summary Arachnomelia syndrome is a lethal inherited malformation mainly of the limbs, vertebral column and skull in cattle, which poses a severe impairment to farmers and breeders. Recently, a number of cases of arachnomelia syndrome have occurred in the Simmental breed and some sires with excellent breeding values had been shown to be carriers of the disease. We herein report the genetic mapping of the mutation underlying arachnomelia in cattle. The disease was mapped using a two-stage genome scan. A first round autosomal genome-wide screening using a limited number of cases identified three chromosomal regions with lod-scores > 1. The position of the arachnomelia syndrome locus was identified to be on BTA 23 by genotyping an additional, independent set of animals with markers that provided positive lod-scores in the course of the initial genome-wide screen. Using a denser set of regional microsatellites, the locus could be mapped to a region about 9 cM in length. The most significant linkage signal with arachnomelia syndrome was obtained with marker NRKM-17 (lod-score > 20) using a recessive model. Interestingly, different genes seem to be responsible for the disease in Brown Swiss and Simmental breeds, as arachnomelia syndrome was mapped to a different location in Brown Swiss. The results provide sufficient information for the development of a genetic test system and also allow the identification of positional candidate genes. [source]


Identification of a 3.7-Mb region for a marbling QTL on bovine chromosome 4 by identical-by-descent and association analysis

ANIMAL GENETICS, Issue 6 2009
K. Yokouchi
Summary QTL mapping for growth and carcass traits was performed using a paternal half-sib family composed of 325 Japanese Black cattle offspring. Nine QTL were detected at the 1% chromosome-wise significance level at a false discovery rate of less than 0.1. These included two QTL for marbling on BTA 4 and 18, two QTL for carcass weight on BTA 14 and 24, two QTL for longissimus muscle area on BTA 1 and 4, two QTL for subcutaneous fat thickness on BTA 1 and 15 and one QTL for rib thickness on BTA 6. Although the marbling QTL on BTA 4 has been replicated with significant linkages in two Japanese Black cattle sires, the three Q (more marbling) haplotypes, each inherited maternally, were apparently different. To compare the three Q haplotypes in more detail, high-density microsatellite markers for the overlapping regions were developed within the 95% CIs (65 markers in 44,78 cM). A detailed haplotype comparison indicated that a small region (<3.7 Mb) around 46 cM was shared between the Qs of the two sires, whose dams were related. An association of this region with marbling was shown by a regression analysis using the local population, in which the two sires were produced and this was confirmed by an association study using a population collected throughout Japan. These results strongly suggest that the marbling QTL on BTA 4 is located in the 3.7-Mb region at around 46 cM. [source]


Assessment of selection mapping near the myostatin gene (GDF-8) in cattle

ANIMAL GENETICS, Issue 5 2009
P. Wiener
Summary Domestic species provide a unique opportunity to examine the effects of selection on the genome. The myostatin gene (GDF-8) has been under strong selection in a number of cattle breeds because of its influence on muscle conformation and association with the ,double-muscling' phenotype. This study examined genetic diversity near this gene in a set of breeds including some nearly fixed for the allele associated with double-muscling (MH), some where the allele is segregating at intermediate frequency and some where the allele is absent. A set of microsatellites and SNPs were used to examine patterns of diversity at the centromeric end of bovine chromosome 2, the region where GDF-8 is located, using various statistical methods. The putative position of a selected gene was moved across the genomic region to determine, by regression, a best position of reduced heterozygosity. Additional analyses examined extended homozygous regions and linkage disequilibrium patterns. While the SNP data was not found to be very informative for selection mapping in this dataset, analyses of the microsatellite data provided evidence of selection on GDF-8 in several breeds. These results suggested that, of the breeds examined, the allele was most recently introduced into the South Devon. Limitations to the selection-mapping approach were highlighted from the analysis of the SNP data and the situation where the MH allele was at intermediate frequency. [source]


Characterization of a QTL region affecting clinical mastitis and protein yield on BTA6

ANIMAL GENETICS, Issue 5 2009
H. Nilsen
Summary Quantitative trait loci affecting clinical mastitis were detected and fine mapped to a narrow region on bovine chromosome 6 in the Norwegian Red cattle population. The region includes the casein gene cluster and several candidate genes thought to influence clinical mastitis. The most significant results were found for SNPs within the Mucin 7 gene. This gene encodes an antimicrobial peptide and constitutes part of the first line of defence for the mucosal immune system. Detection of long haplotypes extending several Mb may indicate that artificial selection has influenced the haplotype structures in the region. A search for selection sweeps supports this observation and coincides with association results found both by single SNP and haplotype analyses. Our analyses identified haplotypes carrying quantitative trait loci alleles associated with high protein yield and simultaneously fewer incidences of clinical mastitis. The fact that such haplotypes are found in relative high frequencies in Norwegian Red may reflect the combined breeding goal that is characterized by selection for both milk production and disease resistance. The identification of these haplotypes raises the possibility of overcoming the unfavourable genetic correlation between these traits through haplotype-assisted selection. [source]


A functional genomics approach to evaluate candidate genes located in a QTL interval for milk production traits on BTA6

ANIMAL GENETICS, Issue 4 2009
P. A. Sheehy
Summary The potential genetic and economic advantage of marker-assisted selection for enhanced production in dairy cattle has provided an impetus to conduct numerous genome scans in order to identify associations between DNA markers and future productive potential. One area of focus has been a quantitative trait locus on bovine chromosome 6 (BTA6) found to be associated with milk yield, milk protein and fat percentage, which has been subsequently fine-mapped to six positional candidate genes. Subsequent investigations have yet to resolve which of the potential positional candidate genes is responsible for the observed associations with productive performance. In this study, we analysed candidate gene expression and the effects of gene knockdown on expression of ,- and ,-casein mRNA in a small interfering RNA transfected bovine in vitro mammosphere model. From our expression studies in vivo, we observed that four of the six candidates (ABCG2, SPP1, PKD2 and LAP3) exhibited differential expression in bovine mammary tissue over the lactation cycle, but in vitro functional studies indicate that inhibition of only one gene, SPP1, had a significant impact on milk protein gene expression. These data suggest that the gene product of SPP1 (also known as osteopontin) has a significant role in the modulation of milk protein gene expression. While these findings do not exclude other positional candidates from influencing lactation, they support the hypothesis that the gene product of SPP1 is a significant lactational regulatory molecule. [source]


Fine mapping of quantitative trait loci for mastitis resistance on bovine chromosome 11

ANIMAL GENETICS, Issue 4 2009
N. F. Schulman
Summary Quantitative trait loci (QTL) affecting clinical mastitis (CM) and somatic cell score (SCS) were mapped on bovine chromosome 11. The mapping population consisted of 14 grandsire families belonging to three Nordic red cattle breeds: Finnish Ayrshire (FA), Swedish Red and White (SRB) and Danish Red. The families had previously been shown to segregate for udder health QTL. A total of 524 progeny tested bulls were included in the analysis. A linkage map including 33 microsatellite and five SNP markers was constructed. We performed combined linkage disequilibrium and linkage analysis (LDLA) using the whole data set. Further analyses were performed for FA and SRB separately to study the origin of the identified QTL/haplotype and to examine if it was common in both populations. Finally, different two-trait models were fitted. These postulated either a pleiotropic QTL affecting both traits; two linked QTL, each affecting one trait; or one QTL affecting a single trait. A QTL affecting CM was fine-mapped. In FA, a haplotype having a strong association with a high negative effect on mastitis resistance was identified. The mapping precision of an earlier detected SCS-QTL was not improved by the LDLA analysis because of lack of linkage disequilibrium between the markers used and the QTL in the region. [source]


The concordance test emerges as a powerful tool for identifying quantitative trait nucleotides: lessons from BTA6 milk yield QTL

ANIMAL GENETICS, Issue 2 2009
E. Seroussi
Summary The lack of conventions for confirming the discovery of quantitative trait nucleotides in livestock was evidenced by the proposals of mutations in two different genes (SPP1 and ABCG2) as the underlying functional mutation for a major quantitative trait locus (QTL) for milk concentration on bovine chromosome 6 (BTA6). Of these conflicting candidates, SPP1 was excluded by follow-up studies and by the data described here. A simple test for concordance of the zygosity state between QTL segregation status and the candidate polymorphism was shown, in this case, to be a critical step towards establishing the proof. If a given sample effectively represents the genetic variation across the QTL region, haplotype-based concordance may further enhance the functionality and resolution power of this test, allowing identification of the causative gene. [source]


A mutation in NF,B interacting protein 1 causes cardiomyopathy and woolly haircoat syndrome of Poll Hereford cattle

ANIMAL GENETICS, Issue 1 2009
M. A. Simpson
Summary Cardiomyopathy and woolly haircoat syndrome (CWH) of Poll Hereford cattle is a lethal, autosomal recessive disorder. Cardiac and haircoat changes are congenital, neonatal ocular keratitis develops in some cases and death usually occurs within the first 12 weeks of life. We undertook a homozygosity mapping approach to identify the chromosomal location of the causative gene. Seven candidate genes were examined for homozygosity in affected animals: desmoplakin and junction plakoglobin (both previously implicated in human cardiocutaneous syndromes), desmocollin 2, desmoglein 2, plakophilin 2, nuclear factor kappa B (NFKB1) and NF,B interacting protein 1 (PPP1R13L, also known as NKIP1). Homozygosity in 13 affected animals was observed at the PPP1R13L locus, located on bovine chromosome 18. Subsequent sequence analysis revealed a 7-bp duplication (c.956_962dup7) in exon 6 of this 13-exon gene. This frameshift variant is predicted to result in the substitution of three amino acids and the introduction of a premature stop codon at position 325 of the protein product (p.Ser322GlnfsX4). PPP1R13L interacts with NF,B, a family of structurally related transcription factors that regulate genes controlling inflammation, immune responses and cell proliferation and survival. CWH represents a large-animal model for cardiocutaneous disorders caused by a mutation in the PPP1R13L gene. The identification of this bovine mutation also indicates that PPP1R13L and other genes affecting NF,B activity may be candidate genes in the study of human cardiovascular disease. [source]


The origin of selection signatures on bovine chromosome 6

ANIMAL GENETICS, Issue 2 2008
B. J. Hayes
Summary The extent and pattern of linkage disequilibrium (LD) between closely spaced markers contain information about population history, including past population size and selection history. Selection signatures can be identified by comparing the LD surrounding a putative selected allele at a locus to the putative non-selected allele. In livestock populations, locations of selection signatures identified in this way should be correlated with QTL affecting production traits, as the populations have been under strong artificial selection for these traits. We used a dense SNP map of bovine chromosome 6 to characterize the pattern of LD on this chromosome in Norwegian Red cattle, a breed which has been strongly selected for milk production. The pattern of LD was generally consistent with strong selection in regions containing QTL affecting milk production traits, including a strong selection signature in a region containing a mutation known to affect milk production. The results demonstrate that in livestock populations, the origin of selection signatures will often be QTL for livestock production traits, and illustrate the value of selection signatures in uncovering new mutations with potential effects on quantitative traits. [source]


A Generalized Caprine-like Hypoplasia Syndrome is localized within a 6-cM interval on bovine chromosome 13 in the Montbéliarde breed

ANIMAL GENETICS, Issue 2 2008
A. Duchesne
Summary Caprine-like Generalized Hypoplasia Syndrome (or SHGC) is a new hereditary disorder described in the Montbéliarde breed. We report here the characterization of this new disease, based on the visual examination of animals affected by SHGC, and on physiological and biochemical studies undertaken on samples of both SHGC and normal animals. Biological samples for more than 150 affected calves and their parents have been collected over the past 4 years within the framework of the Bovine Genetic Disease Observatory. First, pedigree analyses showed that the mode of inheritance is most probably autosomal recessive. Then, a genome scan with 113 animals and 140 microsatellite markers revealed a single locus within a 35-cM region on bovine chromosome 13. Genotypes of 261 animals for 18 new microsatellite markers from the region confirmed the localization of the disorder to a 6-cM interval. Finally, based on the analysis of haplotypes in 463 Montbéliarde sires, we estimated the frequency of the SHGC mutated allele in the population and could propose a strategy for the systematic eradication of this disorder in the near future. [source]


A 2.5-Mb contig constructed from Angus, Longhorn and horned Hereford DNA spanning the polled interval on bovine chromosome 1

ANIMAL GENETICS, Issue 6 2006
K. R. Wunderlich
Summary The polled locus has been mapped by genetic linkage analysis to the proximal region of bovine chromosome 1. As an intermediate step in our efforts to identify the polled locus and the underlying causative mutation for the polled phenotype, we have constructed a BAC-based physical map of the interval containing the polled locus. Clones containing genes and markers in the critical interval were isolated from the TAMBT (constructed from Angus and Longhorn genomic DNA) and CHORI-240 (constructed from horned Hereford genomic DNA) BAC libraries and ordered based on fingerprinting and the presence or absence of 80 STS markers. A single contig spanning 2.5 Mb was assembled. Comparison of the physical order of STSs to the corresponding region of human chromosome 21 revealed the same order of genes within the polled critical interval. This contig of overlapping BAC clones from horned and polled breeds is a useful resource for SNP discovery and characterization of positional candidate genes. [source]


The bovine fatty acid binding protein 4 gene is significantly associated with marbling and subcutaneous fat depth in Wagyu x Limousin F2 crosses

ANIMAL GENETICS, Issue 4 2006
J. J. Michal
Summary Fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4), which is expressed in adipose tissue, interacts with peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors and binds to hormone-sensitive lipase and therefore, plays an important role in lipid metabolism and homeostasis in adipocytes. The objective of this study was to investigate associations of the bovine FABP4 gene with fat deposition. Both cDNA and genomic DNA sequences of the bovine gene were retrieved from the public databases and aligned to determine its genomic organization. Primers targeting two regions of the FABP4 gene were designed: from nucleotides 5433,6106 and from nucleotides 7417,7868 (AAFC01136716). Direct sequencing of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products on two DNA pools from high- and low-marbling animals revealed two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs): AAFC01136716.1:g.7516G>C and g.7713G>C. The former SNP, detected by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism using restriction enzyme MspA1I, was genotyped on 246 F2 animals in a Waygu × Limousin F2 reference population. Statistical analysis showed that the FABP4 genotype significantly affected marbling score (P = 0.0398) and subcutaneous fat depth (P = 0.0246). The FABP4 gene falls into a suggestive/significant quantitative trait loci interval for beef marbling that was previously reported on bovine chromosome 14 in three other populations. [source]


Assignment of the solute carrier family 27 member 1 (SLC27A1) gene to bovine chromosome 7

ANIMAL GENETICS, Issue 4 2005
L. Ordovás
No abstract is available for this article. [source]


A high-resolution radiation hybrid map of bovine chromosome 5q1.3,q2.5 compared with human chromosome 12q

ANIMAL GENETICS, Issue 3 2005
S. Mömke
Summary In this study we present a comprehensive 3000-rad radiation hybrid map on bovine chromosome 5 (BTA5) of a region between 12.8 and 74.0 cM according to the linkage map, which contains a quantitative trait loci for ovulation rate. We mapped 28 gene-associated sequence tagged site markers derived from sequences of bovine BAC clones and 10 microsatellite markers to the BTA5 region. In comparison with HSA12q, four blocks of conserved synteny were apparent showing three chromosomal breakpoints and two inversions in this segment of BTA5. Therefore, we have improved breakpoint resolution in the human,bovine comparative map, which enhances the determination of candidate genes underlying traits of interest mapped to BTA5. [source]


Bovine umbilical hernia maps to the centromeric end of Bos taurus autosome 8

ANIMAL GENETICS, Issue 6 2004
M. Ron
Summary Twelve bull calves were produced by mating elite Israeli cows to ,Glenhapton Enhancer', a Canadian Holstein bull. The frequency of umbilical hernia (UH) in the progeny of the sons ranged from 1 to 21%, consistent with the hypothesis that Enhancer is the carrier of major dominant or codominant gene with partial penetrance for UH. Five sons of Enhancer produced progeny with >10% frequency of UH including sire 3259, whereas progeny of three sons had <3% UH. A total of 116 grand-progeny of Enhancer, all progeny of 3259, were genotyped for 59 microsatellites spanning the 29 bovine autosomes. Of these offspring, 41 were affected. Significant differences in paternal allele frequencies between the affected and unaffected progeny groups were found for marker BMS1591 on bovine chromosome 8 (BTA8). The UH-associated paternal allele originated from Enhancer. The chromosomal segment associated with UH was more precisely mapped between UWCA47, on the centromeric end of BTA8 and RM321, 12 cM from the centromere. A maximum LOD score of 3.84 was obtained 2.5 cM from the centromere with a support interval of 8 cM. Haplotype analysis of eight sons of Enhancer suggested that the UH gene is located in the centromeric end of BTA8 beyond ARO71/ARO72. Thus, by integrating the results from progeny of sire 3259 and sons of Enhancer the location of the UH gene was further refined to the BTA8 segment between ARO71/ARO72 and UWCA47. [source]


Genetic mapping of a locus associated with bovine chronic interstitial nephritis to chromosome 1

ANIMAL GENETICS, Issue 2 2000
N Kobayashi
Chronic interstitial nephritis with diffuse zonal fibrosis (CINF) occurs in Japanese Black cattle (Wagyu) as an autosomal recessive disorder leading to death prior to puberty, first six months or a year of life. We performed a genome-wide scan using microsatellite markers in a Wagyu pedigree segregating for CINF and mapped the CINF locus to bovine chromosome 1. CINF was closest to microsatellites BM9019 and INRA49 (Z score = 12 ·0; P <,3 ·4 × 10,10). [source]


Chediak-Higashi syndrome mutation and genetic testing in Japanese black cattle (Wagyu)

ANIMAL GENETICS, Issue 1 2000
H Yamakuchi
Summary Chediak-Higashi Syndrome (CHS) is an autosomal recessive disorder that affects several species including mice, humans, and cattle. Evidence based on clinical characteristics and somatic cell genetics suggests that mutations in a common gene cause CHS in the three species. The CHS locus on human chromosome 1 and mouse chromosome 13 encodes a lysosomal trafficking regulator formerly known as LYST, now known as CHS1, and is defective in CHS patients and beige mice, respectively. We have mapped the CHS locus to the proximal region of bovine chromosome 28 by linkage analysis using microsatellite markers previously mapped to this chromosome. Furthermore, we have identified a missense A:T,G:C mutation that results in replacement of a histidine with an arginine residue at codon 2015 of the CHS1 gene. This mutation is the most likely cause of CHS in Wagyu cattle. In addition, we describe quick, inexpensive, PCR based tests that will permit elimination of the CHS mutation from Wagyu breeding herds. [source]


Identification of polymorphisms influencing feed intake and efficiency in beef cattle

ANIMAL GENETICS, Issue 3 2008
E. L. Sherman
Summary Feed efficiency is an economically important trait in beef cattle. Net feed efficiency, measured as residual feed intake (RFI), is the difference between actual feed intake and the predicted feed intake required for maintenance and gain of the animal. SNPs that show associations with RFI may be useful quantitative trait nucleotides for marker-assisted selection. This study identified associations between SNPs underlying five RFI QTL on five bovine chromosomes (BTA2, 5, 10, 20 and 29) with measures of dry matter intake (DMI), RFI and feed conversion ratio (FCR) in beef cattle. Six SNPs were found to have effects on RFI (P < 0.05). The largest single SNP allele substitution effect for RFI was ,0.25 kg/day located on BTA2. The combined effects of the SNPs found significant in this experiment explained 6.9% of the phenotypic variation of RFI. Not all the RFI SNPs showed associations with DMI and FCR even though these traits are highly correlated with RFI (r = 0.77 and r = 0.62 respectively). This shows that these SNPs may be affecting the underlying biological mechanisms of feed efficiency beyond feed intake control and weight gain efficiency. These SNPs can be used in marker-assisted selection but first it will be important to verify these effects in independent populations of cattle. [source]


Mapping of the bovine genes of the de novo AMP synthesis pathway,

ANIMAL GENETICS, Issue 6 2004
T. Bĝnsdorff
Summary The purine nucleotides adenosine monophosphate (AMP) and guanosine monophosphate (GMP) are critical for energy metabolism, cell signalling and cell reproduction. Despite their essential function, little is known about the regulation and in vivo expression pattern of the genes involved in the de novo purine synthesis pathway. The complete coding region of the bovine phosphoribosylaminoimidazole carboxylase gene (PAICS), which catalyses steps 6 and 7 of the de novo purine biosynthesis pathway, as well as bovine genomic sequences of the six other genes in the pathway producing inosine monophosphate (IMP) and AMP [phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate amidotransferase (PPAT), phosphoribosylglycinamide formyltransferase (GART), phosphoribosylformylglycinamidine synthase (PFAS), adenylosuccinate lyase (ADSL), 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleotide formyltransferase/IMP cyclohydrolase (ATIC) and adenylosuccinate synthase (ADSS)], were identified. The genes were mapped to segments of six different bovine chromosomes using a radiation hybrid (RH) cell panel. The gene PPAT, coding for the presumed rate-limiting enzyme of the purine de novo pathway was closely linked to PAICS on BTA6. These, and the other bovine locations i.e. GART at BTA1, PFAS at BTA19, ADSL at BTA5, ATIC at BTA2 and ADSS at BTA16, are in agreement with published comparative maps of cattle and man. PAICS and PPAT genes are known to be closely linked in human, rat and chicken. Previously, an expressed sequence fragment of PAICS (Bos taurus corpus luteum, BTCL9) was mapped to BTA13. By isolation and characterization of a BAC clone, we have now identified a PAICS processed pseudogene sequence (,PAICS) on BTA13. Processed pseudogene sequences of PAICS and other genes of the purine biosynthesis pathway were identified in several mammalian species, indicating that the genes of this pathway have been susceptible to retrotransposition. The seven bovine genes are expressed at a higher level in testicular and ovary tissues compared with skeletal muscle. [source]