Porcine (GT)n sequences: structure and association with dispersed and tandem repeats

Abstract

Loci containing (GT)n repeats were isolated from three different plasmid libraries with inserts of porcine genomic DNA between 140 and 200, 200 and 300, and 350 and 400 bp. Sequencing showed that the average repeat length and the fraction of perfect repeats were increased in the libraries containing longer inserts (> or = 200 bp). The polymorphism of (GT)n loci containing at least 10 repeat units was analyzed using the polymerase chain reaction and an automated DNA sequencer. Nearly all tested loci are polymorphic and can therefore be used as marker loci for gene mapping and for other applications. The (GT)n loci were categorized into three classes: (1) loci containing the (GT)n repeats associated with a SINE element, (2) loci containing the (GT)n repeats associated with one or more other simple repeats, and (3) loci containing (GT)n as the only detected repetitive element. At most loci of the first class, the (GT)n repeat was in a fixed configuration adjacent to the 3' end of the SINE. The findings support the notion of clustering of different repeat types in the mammalian genome.