Theoretical and empirical issues for marker-assisted breeding of congenic mouse strains.
Congenic breeding strategies are becoming increasingly important as a greater number of complex trait linkages are identified. Traditionally, the development of a congenic strain has been a time-consuming endeavour, requiring ten generations of backcrosses. The recent advent of a dense molecular genetic map of the mouse permits methods that can reduce the time needed for congenic-strain production by 18-24 months. We present a theoretical evaluation of marker-assisted congenic production and provide the empirical data that support it. We present this 'speed congenic' method in a user-friendly manner to encourage other investigators to pursue this or similar methods of congenic production.
Markel
P
P
Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
Shu
P
P
Ebeling
C
C
Carlson
G A
GA
Nagle
D L
DL
Smutko
J S
JS
Moore
K J
KJ
D000818:Animals; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000235:genetics; D001947:Breeding / Q000379:methods*; D005819:Genetic Markers; D006579:Heterozygote; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains / Q000235:genetics*; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008957:Models, Genetic
D001057:Apolipoproteins E; D005819:Genetic Markers