Mouse male sterility and histoincompatibility (mshi) maps between the D10Mit51/168/212 cluster and D10Mit213

The recessive male sterility and histoincompatibility (mshi) mutation in the mouse generates pleiotropic effects on graft transplantation and male reproduction. Previous analysis of backcross mice typed for mshi either by testicular morphology or by allograft rejection has located each trait to a 20-cM region on proximal mouse Chr 10. Here we present the microsatellite polymorphism analysis of a new 276-member intraspecific backcross panel--including a set of 135 males typed for sterility and histoincompatibility--that places both features controlled by mshi within a 1.7-cM interval between markers D10Mit51/168/212 and D10Mit213. In addition, this analysis has allowed an explicit test of a two-gene model for the mshi locus and has provided a measurement of the penetrance of the mshi-generated histogenic phenotype in both male (88.4 +/- 3.9%) and female (91.0 +/- 3.5%) mutants. The fine-structure map presented should facilitate a chromosome walk across this region and, ultimately, the molecular identification of the gene or genes affected by this interesting mutation.