Isolation of chromosome-specific paints from high-resolution flow karyotypes of the sheep (Ovis aries)

High-resolution bivariate flow karyotypes were obtained using fibroblast cell lines from a sheep with a normal karyotype (2n = 54), from sheep carrying Robertsonian translocation chromosomes and from sheep-hamster somatic cell hybrids. By taking advantage of the presence of chromosome polymorphisms, translocation chromosomes and sheep-hamster somatic cell hybrids, all sheep chromosomes were isolated by flow sorting. Chromosome-specific paints were generated from each sorted peak using degenerate oligonucleotide-primed polymerase chain reaction (DOP-PCR). The sheep chromosome present in each peak was identified by chromosome-specific microsatellite analysis of the DOP-PCR products and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) onto DAPI-banded sheep metaphase chromosomes. The chromosome-specific DNA obtained in this study can be used for the production of genomic libraries and as a resource for mapping randomly cloned DNA sequences that will greatly aid the construction of genetic and physical maps in the sheep. The chromosome-specific paints will facilitate chromosome identification and contribute to the study of karyotype evolution in the sheep and related species.