Whole genome comparative studies between chicken and turkey and their implications for avian genome evolution.
BACKGROUND
Comparative genomics is a powerful means of establishing inter-specific relationships between gene function/location and allows insight into genomic rearrangements, conservation and evolutionary phylogeny. The availability of the complete sequence of the chicken genome has initiated the development of detailed genomic information in other birds including turkey, an agriculturally important species where mapping has hitherto focused on linkage with limited physical information. No molecular study has yet examined conservation of avian microchromosomes, nor differences in copy number variants (CNVs) between birds.


RESULTS
We present a detailed comparative cytogenetic map between chicken and turkey based on reciprocal chromosome painting and mapping of 338 chicken BACs to turkey metaphases. Two inter-chromosomal changes (both involving centromeres) and three pericentric inversions have been identified between chicken and turkey; and array CGH identified 16 inter-specific CNVs.


CONCLUSIONS
This is the first study to combine the modalities of zoo-FISH and array CGH between different avian species. The first insight into the conservation of microchromosomes, the first comparative cytogenetic map of any bird and the first appraisal of CNVs between birds is provided. Results suggest that avian genomes have remained relatively stable during evolution compared to mammalian equivalents.
Griffin
Darren K
DK
Department of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7NJ, UK. D.K.Griffin@kent.ac.uk
Robertson
Lindsay B
LB
Tempest
Helen G
HG
Vignal
Alain
A
Fillon
Valérie
V
Crooijmans
Richard P M A
RP
Groenen
Martien A M
MA
Deryusheva
Svetlana
S
Gaginskaya
Elena
E
Carré
Wilfrid
W
Waddington
David
D
Talbot
Richard
R
Völker
Martin
M
Masabanda
Julio S
JS
Burt
Dave W
DW
D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens / Q000235:genetics*; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D022202:Chromosomes, Artificial, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D003116:Color; D003582:Cytogenetics; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D016678:Genome / Q000235:genetics*; D023281:Genomics; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D008677:Metaphase / Q000235:genetics; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014422:Turkeys / Q000235:genetics*