Linkage map for the Asian tiger mosquito [Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus] based on SSCP analysis of RAPD markers

A linkage map of the Asian tiger mosquito [Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus (Skuse)] was constructed in an F1 intercross by monitoring the segregation of randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers analyzed for single-strand conformation polymorphisms (SSCP). We hypothesized that SSCP analysis would reveal point mutations in RAPD fragments that would then segregate as codominant rather than dominant markers which are typically revealed through routine RAPD analysis. Markers were mapped to individual chromosomes by testing for cosegregation with Sex (chromosome I) or a polymorphism at the a-GPD allozyme locus (chromosome II). All other markers that cosegregated were assigned to chromosome III. Six RAPD primers amplified 68 polymorphic markers that segregated in a Mendelian fashion and were mapped. Contrary to our hypothesis, no codominant SSCP polymorphisms were detected, but fractionation of RAPD products on polyacrylamide gels and detection through silver staining proved to be a sensitive technique that allowed us to identify more markers than the standard analysis of RAPD PCR products on agarose gels.