Generation of whole-chromosome painting probes specific to each chicken macrochromosome

The realization of physical and genetic maps of the chicken genome is dependent on progress in cytogenetic knowledge of its karyotype. To help achieve this goal, we constructed amplified representative DNA samples of the chicken chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, Z, W and of the terminal heterochromatin part of Zq by chromosome microdissection and DOP-PCR amplification. These chromosome DNA samples, which represent about 75% of the chicken genome, were used to generate whole chromosome painting probes for FISH. The direct application of these chromosome specific probes is dual FISH localization and characterization of panels of chicken interspecific somatic hybrids. We discuss some aspects of the chicken genome and its repeated sequences.