Construction of a mouse whole-genome radiation hybrid panel and application to MMU11

Whole-genome radiation hybrids have been used to construct human genome maps that integrate different types of markers. To investigate this methodology in mammalian species other than humans, a panel of 164 mouse x hamster whole-genome radiation hybrids was constructed. This set of hybrids was used to produce a high-resolution map of a region on MMU11 that included microsatellite markers and cDNA sequences. The mouse homologue of the human SRY-related gene SOX9 was mapped to an interval of approximately 1.1 cM flanked by the microsatellite markers D11Mit11 and D11Mit291. This interval includes the region containing the mouse Tail-short mutation, a possible homologue of the human syndrome campomelic dysplasia, which is caused by mutations in SOX9. Our results suggest that whole-genome radiation hybrid technology will be a useful adjunct to mapping the genomes of nonhuman mammalian species.