Human VNTR sequences in porcine HTF-islands

Mapping of complex genomes has been influenced substantially by the isolation of locus-specific, but repetitive DNA elements known as VNTRs. Since a high GC-content is characteristic of most of these elements one might expect them to be clustered at least partially in CpG-islands. To address this question we have constructed a porcine liver DNA NotI-linkage library in pUC18 using isolated HTF-islands. HpaII tiny fragments ranging from less than 100 bp to 1 kb in length were randomly selected and analysed by sequencing. As expected from the source of DNA the clones were rich in CpG-, C- and G-content. Several clones exhibiting a repetitive (GGC)n-motif and sequences originally present in human VNTR-markers were shown to detect DNA fingerprints in different species (Homo sapiens, Sus scrofa domestica, Gallus domesticus, Glycine max, Saccharomyces cerevisiae). A subset of clones was used for hybridization experiments with porcine DNA and were shown to detect single-copy linkage fragments.