An anchored restriction-mapping approach applied to the genetic analysis of the Anopheles gambiae malaria vector complex 1

We introduce here a simple approach for rapidly determining restrictionmaps for a number of regions of a genome; this involves "anchoring" a mapwith a rare restriction site (in this case the seldom-cutting EagI)followed by partial digestion of a frequent-cutting enzyme (e.g., Sau 3A).We applied this technology to five species of the Anopheles gambiaecomplex. In a single Southern blot we obtained about a 15-kb restrictionmap each for the mtDNA, rRNA gene, and a scnDNA region for each of fivespecies. Phylogenetic analyses of these regions yield trees at odds withthe more traditional chromosome inversion-based trees. The value of theapproach for systematic purposes is the ease with which several large,independent regions of the genome can be quickly assayed for molecularvariation.