A genetic map of Peromyscus with chromosomal assignment of linkage groups (a Peromyscus genetic map)

Abstract

The rodent genus Peromyscus is the most numerous and species rich mammalian group in North America. The naturally occurring diversity within this genus allows opportunities to investigate the genetic basis of adaptation, monogamy, behavioral and physiological phenotypes, growth control, genomic imprinting, and disease processes. Increased genomic resources including a high quality genetic map are needed to capitalize on these opportunities. We produced interspecific hybrids between the prairie deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus bairdii) and the oldfield mouse (Peromyscus polionotus) and scored meiotic recombination events in backcross progeny. A genetic map was contructed by genotyping of backcross progeny at 185 gene-based and 155 microsatellite markers representing all autosomes and the X chromosome. Comparison of the constructed genetic map with the molecular maps of Mus and Rattus and consideration of previous results from interspecific reciprocal whole chromosome painting allowed most linkage groups to be unambiguously assigned to specific Peromyscus chromosomes. Based on genomic comparisons, this Peromyscus genetic map covers approximately 83% of the Rattus genome and 79% of the Mus genome. This map supports previous results that the Peromyscus genome is more similar to Rattus than Mus. For example, coverage of the 20 Rattus autosomes and the X chromosome is accomplished with only 28 segments of the Peromyscus map, but coverage of the 19 Mus autosomes and the X chromosome requires 40 chromosomal segments of the Peromyscus map. Furthermore, a single Peromyscus linkage group corresponds to about 91% of the rat and only 76% of the mouse X chromosomes.

The genetic basis of parental care evolution in monogamous mice

“…Chromosomes 16 and 21 from Kenney-Hunt et al 44 are represented by a single linkage group in our map, and there was no obvious position to split this linkage group, as there was strong linkage among markers throughout. Based on new data from fluorescence hybridization experiments (M. Felder and R. O’Neill, personal communication), we find that chromosome 8a corresponds to chromosome 16, 8b is chromosome 8, and in agreement with our linkage results, published chromosomes 16 and 21 should both be included in chromosome 21.…”

“…We assigned chromosome names to the linkage groups in our map based on the localization of known genes in Peromyscus chromosomes in our linkage groups 44 . Chromosomes 16 and 21 from Kenney-Hunt et al 44 are represented by a single linkage group in our map, and there was no obvious position to split this linkage group, as there was strong linkage among markers throughout.…”

Transcriptome resources for the white‐footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus): new genomic tools for investigating ecologically divergent urban and rural populations

“…Known genetic markers from (Kenney‐Hunt et al . ) are listed on the left side of each chromosome. The number on the right side of each chromosome corresponds to how many P .…”

Broad diversity of host responses of the white-footed mouse Peromyscus leucopus to Borrelia infection and antigens

“…A P. leucopus experimental system is feasible in part because there are at least two institutional sources for colony-bred and –reared outbred P. leucopus in the United States: in South Carolina (Crossland et al, 2014) and in Massachusetts (Bhattacharya et al, 2011). Advances in the physical mapping and sequencing of the genomes of different Peromyscus species (Kenney-Hunt et al, 2014; Worley, 2015), including P. leucopus , also mean that investigators likely will not be dependent on using inbred strains for the identification of loci for either Mendelian or quantitative traits. Such forward genetics approaches as high-density SNP microarrays and genome-wide association studies are most informative when there are well-characterized phenotypes of biological relevance and with no or limited co-variation.…”