Mapping 28 erythrocyte antigen, plasma protein and enzyme polymorphisms using an efficient genomic scan of the porcine genome

One hundred and fifty-four microsatellite markers were selected for genomic scanning of the porcine genome and were grouped into amplification sets to reduce the cost and labour required. Thirty amplification sets had two markers (duplex), 20 sets had three markers (triplex) and five sets had four markers (quadruplex) while 14 markers were analysed separately. The selection criteria for microsatellites were: ease of scoring, level of polymorphism, genetic location and ability to be genotyped in a multiplexed polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The selected microsatellites were chosen to span the entire genome flanked by the porcine linkage map with intervals between adjacent markers of 15–20 cM where possible. The utility of this set of markers was demonstrated by linkage analyses with loci controlling blood plasma protein and red cell enzyme polymorphisms ( n = 13), erythrocyte antigens ( n = 15), the S blood group, coat colour and ryanodine receptor from 174 backcross Meishan-White Composite pigs. These loci displayed various forms of inheritance and most (24 loci) have been placed in linkage groups. Significant two-point linkages (lod > 3·0) were detected for each polymorphic marker. These results provide the first linkage assignments for phosphoglucomutase (PGM2) and erythrocyte antigen F (EAF) to SSC8; and serum amylase (AMY) and erythrocyte antigen I (EAI) to SSC18. All of the remaining polymorphic loci ( n = 24) mapped to previously identified regions confirming earlier results. Most of the markers used in this study should be useful in resource populations of various breed crosses as the number of alleles detected in a multibreed reference population was one of the selection criteria.