An extensive and comprehensive radiation hybrid map of bovine Chromosome 15: comparison with human Chromosome 11

. An extensive and comprehensive radiation hybrid map of bovine Chromosome 15 (BTA15) was built with 42 anonymous markers, 3 ESTs, and 49 genes. This work allows us to refine the comparative map between human Chromosome (Chr) 11 (HSA11) and BTA15. Four blocks with a similar gene content and relatively good gene order conservation were identified. The discrepancies are concentrated on closely positioned genes for which discrimination is not possible between mapping resolution limits in either the human or the bovine maps and true local inversions. Using the gene order similarity and the human physical map as starting point, we estimated the overall physical length of BTA15 to be around 75.3 Mb. The INRA bovine BAC library was screened for all the markers ordered on the bovine map, which will provide anchors for future efforts in the construction of a physical map of the bovine genome. Finally, this map contains the majority of publicly available polymorphic markers described for BTA15 and integrates those with comparative mapping information. It should, therefore, constitute a powerful tool in the identification of relevant candidate genes in regions of BTA15 harboring economic trait loci.