The fast multipoint maximum likelihood mapping algorithm for crosses between inbred lines, introduced by Jansen et al. (2001), is extended for mapping in a full-sib family of an outbreeding species. The method accommodates different segregation types of markers and differences in recombination between parents. The two separate parental multipoint maximum likelihood maps are joined into an integrated map by averaging lengths over anchored segments and by interpolating or extrapolating for markers segregating in one parent only. The method is illustrated with simulated data. The method will enable a more accurate estimation of maps in outbreeding species than current methods.

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SummaryLinkage analysis and map construction using molecular markers is far more complicated in full-sib families of outbreeding plant species than in progenies derived from homozygous parents. Markers may vary in the number of segregating alleles. One or both parents may be heterozygous, markers may be dominant or codominant and usually the linkage phases of marker pairs are unknown. Because of these differences, marker pairs provide different amounts of information for the estimation of recombination frequencies and the linkage phases of the markers in the two parents, and usually these have to be estimated simultaneously. In this paper we present a complete overview of all possible configurations of marker pairs segregating in full-sib families. Maximum likelihood estimators for the recombination frequency and LOD score formulas are presented for all cases. Statistical properties of the estimators are studied analytically and by simulation. Specific problems of dominant markers, in particular with respect to the probability of detecting linkage, the probability of obtaining zero estimates, and the ability to distinguish linkage phase combinations, and consequences for mapping studies in outbred progenies are discussed.

Genetic linkage maps are an increasingly important tool in both fundamental and applied research, enabling the study and deployment of genes that determine important biological traits. This concise introduction to genetic mapping in species with disomic inheritance enables life science graduate students and researchers to use mapping software to produce more reliable results. After a brief refresher on meiosis and genetic recombination, the steps in the map construction procedure are described, with explanations of the computations involved. The emphasis throughout is on the practical application of the methods described; detailed mathematical formulae are avoided and exercises are included to help readers consolidate their understanding. A chapter on recognising and solving problems provides valuable guidance for dealing with real-life situations. An extensive chapter dedicated to the more complex situation of outbreeding species offers a unique insight into the approach required for many economically important and model species, both plants and animals.

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The genus Salix (willow) contains a number of species of great value as biomass crops. Efforts to breed varieties with improved biomass yields and resistances to pests and diseases are limited by the lack of knowledge on the genetic basis of the traits. We have used AFLP and microsatellite markers to construct a genetic map of willow from a full-sib cross of the diploid species Salix viminalis (2n = 38). In accordance with a double pseudo-testcross approach, separate parental maps were constructed and merged to produce a consensus map comprising 291 AFLP and 39 willow microsatellite markers. Nineteen poplar microsatellites were also tested in willow. Five of these amplified loci, of which two were mapped. Linkage groups of the consensus map that could be identified in the parental maps are presented here and spanned 1,256.5 cM with an average interval between markers of 4.4 cM.

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