Standardization and conversion of marker polymorphism measures

Abstract

Large scale gene mapping efforts in domestic animals have generated and mapped a large number of genetic markers that are useful for mapping quantitative trait and disease loci and for DNA diagnostic purposes such as parentage testing. Marker polymorphism is an important criterion for selecting genetic markers in planning experiment for mapping quantitative trait loci or for DNA diagnostic purposes. Current formulations of marker polymorphism measures are functions of marker allele frequencies. In this study, two measures of marker polymorphism that are available from gene mapping studies and do not require allele frequencies were proposed and analyzed: the observed polymorphic information content (PIC) and the observed family information content (FIC). The observed FIC was more stable than the observed PIC because the observed FIC is unaffected by the variation in the frequency of heterozygous parents. However, both FIC and PIC are dependent on the gene mapping design. The effective number of alleles is recommended as a tool to standardize marker polymorphism measures so that polymorphism of different markers can be compared on an qual basis, and to obtain a new polymorphism measure (such an exclusion probability) from an existing measure (such as FIC). The usage of the effective number of alleles to standardize FIC, PIC and exclusion probabilities is illustrated using genetic markers in a published linkage map.     

北京地区汉族群体D1S1612和D18S535基因座的遗传多态性

采用扩增片段长度多态性（Amp-FLP）分型技术,调查中国北京地区汉族群体D1S1612、D18S535 基因座的遗传多态性,获得等位基因频率分布。结果显示, D1S1612检出9个等位基因,25种基因型, D18S535检出9个等位基因,27种基因型。两个STR基因座的杂和度（H）分别为0.779、0.887;个人识别率（Dp）分别为0.901、0.927;非父排除率（PE）分别为0.564、0.770;多态信息容量（PIC）分别为0.723、0.796,卡方检验表明两个STR 基因座基因型频率分布符合Hardy-Weinberg平衡 (P>0.01 )。D1S1612和D18S535 基因座均属高杂合度、高识别能力的遗传标记,可用于法庭科学亲子鉴定和个人识别。 Abstract: To investigate the genetic polymorphism of D1S1612 and D18S535 in Han population of Beijing. Amp-FLP method was used. 9 alleles, 25 genotypes were observed for D1S1612 locus; and 9 alleles and 27 genotypes for D18S535 locus. All allele frequencies, heterozygosity (H), discrimination power (Dp), exclusion of paternity probability (PE) and polymorphism information content (PIC) were calculated. The allele distributions of the two loci were conformed to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (P>0.01). According to the results obtained in this study, it is suggested that both D1S1612 and D18S535 are useful genetic markers for individual identification and paternity testing in forensic science practice as well for genetic study.     

Robust indices of Hardy-Weinberg disequilibrium for QTL fine mapping

Hardy-Weinberg disequilibrium (HWD) measures have been proposed using dense markers to fine map a quantitative trait locus (QTL) to regions < approximately 1 cM. Earlier HWD measures may introduce bias in the fine mapping because they are dependent on marker allele frequencies across loci. Hence, HWD indices that do not depend on marker allele frequencies are desired for fine mapping. Based on our earlier work, here we present four new HWD indices that do not depend on marker allele frequencies. Two are for use when marker allele frequencies in a study population are known, and two are for use when marker allele frequencies in a study population are not known and are only known in the extreme samples. The new measures are a function of the genetic distance between the marker locus and a QTL. Through simulations, we investigated and compared the fine mapping performance of the new HWD measures with that of the earlier ones. Our results show that when marker allele frequencies vary across loci, the new measures presented here are more robust and powerful.     

利用微卫星技术分析不同类群鸡的遗传多样性

利用8个微卫星标记分析了6个生产类群鸡的遗传多样性。计算了各群体在各位点上的等位基因频率,并据此计算出各群体的平均遗传杂合度(h)、多态信息含量(PIC)和有效等位基因数(Ne)。结果表明:6个鸡群在8个微卫星座位上的基因频率存在明显的差异,其平均基因杂合度为0.7317,平均多态信息含量为0.6815。其中,群体平均杂合度最高的是安卡红鸡,为0.7716;平均杂合度最低的是新罗曼鸡,为0.7073。所选的8个微卫星座位均为高度多态,可作为有效的遗传标记用于鸡群体遗传多样性的分析。     

利用17个微卫星标记分析鳙鱼的遗传多样性

选用本实验室克隆的17个鳙鱼微卫星分子标记分析四川泸州和江西鄱阳湖的两个种群鳙鱼的遗传多样性及种质特性,计算和统计了杂合度、多态信息含量（PIC）、有效等位基因数、等位基因频率、遗传距离、遗传相似系数、Hardy-Weinberg平衡偏离指数等方面内容。结果表明：选择使用17个微卫星标记,其中有4个为单态标记,13个为多态标记。江西和四川鳙鱼群体每个微卫星位点的平均等位基因数分别为3.325及3.882,平均有效等位基因数分别为3.531及2.676,多态位点百分率分别为82.4及70.5, 17个微卫星标记共有等位基因71个,多态微卫星位点的PIC在0.114~0.960之间变动,平均为0.417 ,两群体位点平均观测杂合度为0.385和0.452,平均期望杂合度为0.360和0.422,两个群体间的遗传相似系数为0.897,群体间的遗传距离为0.109。     

Development of eighteen polymorphic microsatellite markers in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Scylla paramamosain</Emphasis> by 5′ anchored PCR technique

The mud crab Scylla paramamosain plays a significant role in fishery resources in China. In this study, we developed 18 polymorphic microsatellite markers in this important crab by 5′ anchored PCR technique. A total of 125 alleles were detected in a single population of 32 individuals of S. paramamosain. The number of alleles per locus ranged from five to nine, with the allele size ranging from 166 to 316 bp. The polymorphism information content (PIC), observed and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.39 to 0.88, from 0.33 to 0.92 and from 0.42 to 0.86, respectively. Three loci (Scypa13, Scypa14 and Scypa15) deviated significantly from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) after Bonferroni correction (P < 0.0028), and no linkage disequilibrium was found between loci pairs. These polymorphic microsatellite markers will be useful for the study of population genetic structure, construction of genetic linkage maps and mapping of economically quantitative trait loci (QTL) in S. paramamosain.     

我国地方鸡品种保种群微卫星多态性分析与分子标记档案的建立

利用20个微卫星标记对国家家禽品种资源基因库中保存的11个地方鸡品种保种群进行了遗传检测,计算各群体的等位基因频率、平均基因杂合度、平均多态信息含量及各群体间的遗传距离,并用类平均法进行聚类分析。研究结果表明：20个微卫星标记在11个地方鸡品种保种群共检测到176个等位基因,平均为8.8个,基因频率分布在0.013～0.838之间。检测到等位基因中,有45个等位基因为11个地方鸡品种所共有;11个地方鸡品种平均杂合度在0.6800～0.7432之间。其中藏鸡最高,为0.7432;狼山鸡最低,为0.6800;平均多态信息含量在0.6329～0.7023之间,均大于0.5,表现为高度多态性;11 个鸡品种聚为4类。丝羽乌骨鸡、茶花鸡、仙居鸡、藏鸡、萧山鸡聚为一类,鹿苑鸡、狼山鸡聚为一类,固始鸡、北京油鸡、大骨鸡聚为一类,河南斗鸡单独聚为一类;通过利用20个微卫星基因座检测不同世代群体中等位基因及其频率、群体基因平均杂合度和多态信息含量,建立地方鸡品种保种群微卫星标记档案,并分析世代间的差异,预期可以达到监测保种效果的目的。     

Power of microsatellite markers for fingerprinting and parentage analysis in Eucalyptus grandis breeding populations

We report the genetic analysis of 192 unrelated individuals of an elite breeding population of Eucalyptus grandis (Hill ex Maiden) with a selected set of six highly polymorphic microsatellite markers developed for species of the genus Eucalyptus. A full characterization of this set of six loci was carried out generating allele frequency distributions that were used to estimate parameters of genetic information content of these loci, including expected heterozygosity, polymorphism information content (PIC), power of exclusion, and probability of identity. The number of detected alleles per locus ranged from 6 to 33, with an average of 19.8 +/- 9.2. The average expected heterozygosity was 0.86 +/- 0.11 and the average PIC was 0.83 +/- 0.16. Using only three loci, it was possible to discriminate all 192 individuals. The overall probability of identity considering all six EMBRA microsatellite markers combined was lower than 1 in 2 billion. An analysis of the sample size necessary to estimate expected heterozygosity with minimum variance indicated that at least 64 individuals have to be genotyped to characterize this parameter with adequate accuracy for most microsatellites in Eucalyptus. The high degree of multiallelism and the clear and simple codominant Mendelian inheritance of the set of microsatellites used provide an extremely powerful system for the unique identification of Eucalyptus individuals for fingerprinting purposes and parentage testing.     

Development and characterization of microsatellite markers for Cryptomeria japonica D.Don

Thirty four microsatellite markers for Cryptomeria japonica D. Don were developed by searching three types of library: a database of C. japonica cDNA sequences, a standard non-enriched genomic DNA library and a microsatellite-enriched library using magnetic particles. The enrichment of microsatellite sequences using magnetic particles is very efficient compared to the other two methods both in terms of the numbers of markers generated, and in the polymorphism they detect. The microsatellites developed from the genomic DNA library generally have longer repeat sequences and are more polymorphic than those from cDNA. All the developed microsatellite markers in this study showed polymorphism among 28 plus trees selected from locations scattered throughout Japan. The mean number of alleles per locus (MNA) detected in the 28 plus trees ranged from 2 to 21 with an average of 7.5. The Polymorphism Information Content (PIC) ranged from 0.160 to 0.936 with an average of 0.666. Co-dominant segregation of alleles in a three-generation pedigree of C. japonica was demonstrated at 34 microsatellite loci, and the segregation was not distorted from Mendelian expectation for all loci. In 12 out of 34 loci, a null allele was detected. Key relationships between polymorphic parameters, such as MNA and PIC, and the characteristics of microsatellite sequences, such as the longest repeat number, total repeat number and total number of nucleotides, were investigated using rank correlation coefficients, Kendall's tau. A positive correlation was found between repeat lengths and polymorphisms. The markers provide sufficient resolution for investigating gene flow within forests and seed orchards, and for genome mapping.     

Linkage disequilibrium mapping of quantitative trait loci under truncation selection

As a dense map of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers are available, population-based linkage disequilibrium (LD) mapping or association study is becoming one of the major tools for identifying quantitative trait loci (QTL) and for fine gene mapping. However, in many cases, LD between the marker and trait locus is not very strong. Approaches that maximize the potential of detecting LD will be essential for the success of LD mapping of QTL. In this paper, we propose two strategies for increasing the probability of detecting LD: (1) phenotypic selection and (2) haplotype LD mapping. To provide the foundations for LD mapping of QTL under selection, we develop analytic tools for assessing the impact of phenotypic selection on allele and haplotype frequencies, and LD under three trait models: single trait locus, two unlinked trait loci, and two linked trait loci with or without epistasis. In addition to a traditional chi(2) test, which compares the difference in allele or haplotype frequencies in the selected sample and population sample, we present multiple regression methods for LD mapping of QTL, and investigate which methods are effective in employing phenotypic selection for QTL mapping. We also develop a statistical framework for investigating and comparing the power of the single marker and multilocus haplotype test for LD mapping of QTL. Finally, the proposed methods are applied to mapping QTL influencing variation in systolic blood pressure in an isolated Chinese population.     

Carrier detection and prenatal diagnosis in Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy families, using dinucleotide repeat polymorphisms.

To improve carrier detection and prenatal diagnosis for Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy families, we determined allele frequencies and measures of variation for four (dC-dA)n.(dG-dT)n loci identified within a deletion-prone region of the human dystrophin gene. The loci are highly polymorphic, with predicted heterozygosities of 71.6%-93.3%. Direct DNA sequence analysis of the (dC-dA)n.(dG-dT)n locus in intron 49 revealed an additional length polymorphism which varies by single-basepair increments, is adjacent to the dinucleotide repeat block, and enhances the polymorphic content of this marker. The four (dC-dA)n.(dG-dT)n loci are each easily amplified by PCR in two diplex reactions. The variability of allele lengths at these loci makes them ideal for carrier detection and prenatal diagnosis, often providing diagnostic information when RFLP analysis is uninformative. These markers have aided in identification of deletion mutations, exclusion of maternal cell contamination of chorionic villus samples, confirmation of paternity, and mapping of gene recombinations. The allele identification of these loci can be performed either with a radiolabel or with an automated, nonradioactive, fluorescent gel detection system.     

Effectiveness of bovine microsatellites in resolving paternity cases in American bison, Bison bison L.

A set of 33 cattle microsatellite primer pairs was tested with the DNA of American bison from a captive population in Belgium and evaluated for usefulness in parentage testing. Two primer sets did not amplify and three were monomorphic. Among the polymorphic markers, the number of alleles ranged from two to nine. Heterozygosity, polymorphism information content (PIC) and probability of exclusion (PE) values were low by comparison with those obtained with the same markers in cattle. Two methods of estimating PE were used, one which assumed equal allele frequencies between parental sexes and another which took into account differences in allele frequencies between parental sexes. An internationally accepted set of nine microsatellites gives cumulative PE values of 0·98 and 0·97, respectively, for the two methods. The potential of this marker set to identify bison × cattle hybrids is discussed. Because bison and cattle have a common ancestor, these microsatellites are a useful way to establish genetic distances and can lead to the construction of phylogenetic trees.     

Diversity of microsatellites derived from genomic libraries and GenBank sequences in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

The growing number of rice microsatellite markers warrants a comprehensive comparison of allelic variability between the markers developed using different methods, with various sequence repeat motifs, and from coding and non-coding portions of the genome. We have performed such a comparison over a set of 323 microsatellite markers; 194 were derived from genomic library screening and 129 were derived from the analysis of rice-expressed sequence tags (ESTs) available in public DNA databases. We have evaluated the frequency of polymorphism between parental pairs of six inter- subspecific crosses and one inter-specific cross widely used for mapping in rice. Microsatellites derived from genomic libraries detected a higher level of polymorphism than those derived from ESTs contained in the GenBank database (83.8% versus 54.0%). Similarly, the other measures of genetic variability [the number of alleles per locus, polymorphism information content (PIC), and allele size ranges] were all higher in genomic library-derived microsatellites than in their EST-database counterparts. The highest overall degree of genetic diversity was seen in GA-containing microsatellites of genomic library origin, while the most conserved markers contained CCG- or CAG-trinucleotide motifs and were developed from GenBank sequences. Preferential location of specific motifs in coding versus non-coding regions of known genes was related to observed levels of microsatellite diversity. A strong positive correlation was observed between the maximum length of a microsatellite motif and the standard deviation of the molecular-weight of amplified fragments. The reliability of molecular weight standard deviation (SDmw) as an indicator of genetic variability of microsatellite loci is discussed. Received: 5 May 1999 / Accepted: 16 August 1999     

Establishment of paternity testing system using microsatellite markers in Chinese Holstein

To estimate the efficiency of microsatellite markers in paternity testing among Chinese Holstein, 30 microsatellite loci were used to differentiate 330 Chinese Holstein genotypes, according to the calculation of the allele frequency, number of alleles, effective number of alleles, genetic heterozygosity, polymorphic information content (PIC), and the exclusion probability in this cattle population. The results demonstrated that the exclusion probability ranged from 0.620 in locus BM1818 to 0.265 in locus INRA005 with the average of 0.472 and 11 microsatellite markers exceeding 0.5. The combined exclusion probability of nine microsatellite markers was over 0.99. The result showed that paternity testing of Chinese Holstein was basically resolved using the nine microsatellite markers selected.     

镜鲤繁殖群体的遗传结构及微卫星标记与经济性状的相关性分析

选用35个多态性微卫星分子标记对天津换新良种场镜鲤一个繁殖群体的有效等位基因数(Ae)、观测杂合度(Ho)、期望杂合度(He)、多态信息含量(PIC) 等进行了检测, 以卡方检验估计群体Hardy-Weinberg平衡。结果表明：在35个基因座共检测到118个等位基因, 平均等位基因数为3.37个, 每个座位检测到的等位基因数2~7个不等, 平均有效等位基因数为2.16, 观测杂合度平均值0.431, 无偏期望杂合度的平均值为0.4736, 平均多态信息含量0.42, 说明这个群体属于中度多态, 遗传多样性水平不高。卡方检验的P值显示多于半数的位点都发生了偏离。并将35个基因座的不同基因型与个体的体重、体长值进行了连锁分析, 得到了4个与体重、体长连锁的基因型, 并将所得结果与鲤鱼体长性状QTL定位结果进行对比, 其中HLJ319标记与QTL定位结果基本一致。分析了几个严重偏离平衡的基因型, 并讨论出现这种现象的可能原因。     

采用微卫星DNA标记分析部分地方鸡种保种场的保种效果

采用28对微卫星引物分析了我国两个地方鸡种大骨鸡和北京油鸡不同保种场的保种效果。检测了大骨鸡和北京油鸡共计125个个体的基因型,通过计算等位基因数、等位基因频率、遗传杂合度(H)、多态信息含量(P,G)、F统计量、Nei氏遗传距离,并采用UPGMA聚类法分析了大骨鸡和北京油鸡群体内与群体间的遗传变异,比较了两个鸡种不同保种场的保种效果。在所检测的4个群体中,各群体均有较高的多态性,其杂合度都超过了0．55,各位点等位基因的数目为2～22。除LE110194和MCW0032外,其余26个微卫星位点都处于基因平衡状态。结果表明,4个保种场均较好的保存了这些品种的遗传多样性,但同一品种保种场间保种群体已经产生了差异。     

Microsatellite DNA polymorphism divergence in Chinese wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) landraces highly resistant to Fusarium head blight

Genetic differences between 20 Chinese wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) landraces highly resistant to Fusarium head blight (FHB) and 4 wheat lines highly susceptible to FHB were evaluated by means of microsatellite markers, in order to select suitable parents for gene mapping studies. Thirty-nine out of 40 microsatellite markers (97.5%) were polymorphic among the 24 wheat genotypes. A total of 276 alleles were detected at the 40 microsatellite loci. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 1 to 16, with an average of 6.9 alleles. Among these microsatellite loci, the largest polymorphism information content (PIC) value was 0.914 (GWM484), while the lowest PIC value was 0 (GWM24). The mean genetic similarity index among the 24 genotypes was 0.419, ranging from 0.103 to 0.673. Clustering analysis indicated that the highly susceptible synthetic wheat line RSP was less genetically related to and more divergent from the Chinese highly resistant landraces. These results were useful in the identification of suitable parents for the development of mapping populations for tagging the FHB resistance genes among these Chinese wheat landraces.     

Power analysis of QTL detection in half-sib families using selective DNA pooling

Individual loci of economic importance (QTL) can be detected by comparing the inheritance of a trait and the inheritance of loci with alleles readily identifiable by laboratory methods (genetic markers). Data on allele segregation at the individual level are costly and alternatives have been proposed that make use of allele frequencies among progeny, rather than individual genotypes. Among the factors that may affect the power of the set up, the most important are those intrinsic to the QTL: the additive effect of the QTL, and its dominance, and distance between markers and QTL. Other factors are relative to the choice of animals and markers, such as the frequency of the QTL and marker alleles among dams and sires. Data collection may affect the detection power through the size of half-sib families, selection rate within families, and the technical error incurred when estimating genetic frequencies. We present results for a sensitivity analysis for QTL detection using pools of DNA from selected half-sibs. Simulations showed that conclusive detection may be achieved with families of at least 500 half-sibs if sires are chosen on the criteria that most of their marker alleles are either both missing, or one is fixed, among dams.     

猪几个血清蛋白质位点的等位基因频率在选育中的变化趋势

采用淀粉凝胶电泳测定了杜洛克猪的转铁蛋白(Tf)、前白蛋白(Pa)、血液结合素(Hpx)、铜兰蛋白(Cp)和淀粉酶(Am)多态性,统计和计算了表现型数和等位基因频率,并同1968年测得的基因频率进行了比较,揭示了杜洛克猪几个血清蛋白质位点的等位基因频率在长期选育中的变化趋势,即随着人们有目的地进行选育,这些血清蛋白质位点的等位基因数减少,基因频率向某个等位基因集中,形成优势等位基因。目前的优势等位基因是Tf^B、Pa^A、Hpx^3、Cp^B、Am^8。此外,将杜洛克猪的基因频率同湖南部分地方猪进行了比较,计算了它们的平均杂合度、遗传相似系数和遗传距离系数,并做了聚类分析。     

长江中上游两个鲢群体遗传变异的微卫星分析

对长江中上游2个鲢群体使用39个微卫星标记进行了遗传多样性分析, 计算并统计了平均观测等位基因数、平均有效等位基因数、多态信息含量、遗传杂合度、Hardy-Weinberg平衡偏离指数、遗传相似系数、遗传距离等遗传参数。结果表明: 万州鲢和监利鲢群体所检测微卫星位点的平均观测等位基因数分别为6.128和4.974; 平均有效等位基因数分别为4.107和3.395; 多态位点百分率分别为100和94.87; 39个微卫星标记共有等位基因259个, 173个等位基因为两群体所共有; 多态微卫星位点的PIC在0.077~0.865之间变动,平均为0.617; 两群体所检测位点平均观测杂合度为0.834和0.775, 平均期望杂合度为0.713和0.623; 两个群体间的遗传相似系数为0.618, 群体间的遗传距离为0.482。结果显示长江中上游两个鲢群体间存在显著遗传分化, 应隶属于不同的种群。