title: The genetic map and comparative analysis with the physical map of Trypanosoma brucei.
abstract: Trypanosoma brucei is the causative agent of African sleeping sickness in humans and contributes to the debilitating disease 'Nagana' in cattle. To date we know little about the genes that determine drug resistance, host specificity, pathogenesis and virulence in these parasites. The availability of the complete genome sequence and the ability of the parasite to undergo genetic exchange have allowed genetic investigations into this parasite and here we report the first genetic map of T.brucei for the genome reference stock TREU 927, comprising of 182 markers and 11 major linkage groups, that correspond to the 11 previously identified chromosomes. The genetic map provides 90% probability of a marker being 11 cM from any given locus. Its comparison to the available physical map has revealed the average physical size of a recombination unit to be 15.6 Kb/cM. The genetic map coupled with the genome sequence and the ability to undertake crosses presents a new approach to identifying genes relevant to the disease and its prevention in this important pathogen through forward genetic analysis and positional cloning.
authors.affiliation: Wellcome Centre for Molecular Parasitology, Anderson College Complex, University of Glasgow, 56 Dumbarton Road, Glasgow G11 6NU, UK. gvwa08@udcf.gla.ac.uk
authors.forename: Annette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: MacLeod
authors.forename: Alison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tweedie
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: McLellan
authors.forename: Sonya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Berriman
authors.forename: Najib M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: El-Sayed
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hope
authors.forename: C Michael R
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.forename: Andy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tait
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D002875:Chromosomes; D008040:Genetic Linkage; D018503:Genome, Protozoan; D020161:Physical Chromosome Mapping; D014346:Trypanosoma brucei brucei / Q000235:genetics*