Multiplexed Microsatellite Genetic Linkage Markers

Despite the improvements in linkage techniques introduced by PRC and mircrosatellites,genotyping remains very technical, time consuming and expensive. Multiplexing the analysis is one wayto reduce the cost and improve the efficiency. We will develop, produce and distribute microsatellitemarkers suitable for multiplex analysis on automated hardware. We currently produce and distributeover 3,000 microsatellite markers to over 100 labs for the analysis of linkage in human, mouse and rat.These are typically analyzed using 32p, autoradiograms and manual scoring. Many of these markers rununder poorly defined PCR conditions further complicating the procedure. The markers would allownono-isotopic, automated detection, multiple marker per lane and would all run under validate PCRconditions. This would be achieved by the redesign of primer sequences where necessary, carefullyselecting well space markers with allele size ranges that would allow multiple markers per lane, andmulticolored fluorescent labeling which would further increase the number of markers per lane. Markerset with 10 cM resolution in human would be the objective of phase II.