Isolation and characterization of 45 polymorphic microsatellites from the bovine genome

A small-insert bovine genomic library was constructed in pBluescript II SK(+) and enriched for microsatellites by selective rescue of single-stranded pBluescript DNA carrying (CA)n/(TG)n tandem repeats. Approximately 50% of the clones in the enriched library contained (CA)n repeats or CA-rich sequences. Sequencing of clones selected for (CA)n repeats resulted in the identification and characterization of 45 (CA)n polymorphic microsatellites. Genotyping in 9 large paternal half-sib families indicated that 40 of these microsatellite markers exhibit autosomal Mendelian inheritance. The numbers of alleles range from 2 to 18, with an average of 6.3 per locus. The polymorphic microsatellite markers we have identified and characterized will contribute to the construction of a high-resolution linkage map of bovine genome.