Progeny testing of heterozygote carriers of the Robertsonian translocation 1/29 in Bovidae

Abstract

In our recent population study, 220 daughters of a heterozygote carrier of the Robertsonian translocation 1/29 were analysed by screening of metaphase spreads and typing of microsatellite markers. The segregation between markers near the centromere of chromosomes 1 and 29 and the fusion were analysed. The microsatellite markers were selected from the USDA, MARC cattle genome map. Analyses were done on AGLA17, BM6438, TGLA49, BMS 1928, BM8139, INRA117, BMS574, BMS711 and BMS4015 of chromosome 1, and on BM4602, BMC2228 and BMS1857 of chromosome 29. The two markers BMC2228 and BMS4018 in the linkage group originating from the fusion were able to either recognise or exclude 167 daughters out of 220 as carriers of the Robertsonian translocation 1/29. Fifty-three daughters showed double heterozygote markers like their father, and were therefore not informative. The use of conventional cytogenetics in combination with molecular studies has allowed a more precise evaluation of the Robertsonian translocations than either approach alone might have done.