Mapping Genomes

Genetic Maps

The study of genetic maps begins with linkage analysis, a procedure that analyzes the recombination frequency between genes to determine if they are linked or show independent assortment. Scientists used the term linkage before the discovery of DNA. Early geneticists relied on observing phenotypic changes to understand an organism’s genotype. Shortly after Gregor Mendel (the father of modern genetics) proposed that traits were determined by what we now call genes, other researchers observed that different traits were often inherited together, and thereby deduced that the genes were physically linked by their location on the same chromosome. Gene mapping relative to each other based on linkage analysis led to developing the first genetic maps.

Observations that certain traits were always linked and certain others were not linked came from studying the offspring of crosses between parents with different traits. For example, in garden pea experiments, researchers discovered, that the flower’s color and plant pollen’s shape were linked traits, and therefore the genes encoding these traits were in close proximity on the same chromosome. We call exchanging DNA between homologous chromosome pairs genetic recombination, which occurs by crossing over DNA between homologous DNA strands, such as nonsister chromatids. Linkage analysis involves studying the recombination frequency between any two genes. The greater the distance between two genes, the higher the chance that a recombination event will occur between them, and the higher the recombination frequency between them. Figure shows two possibilities for recombination between two nonsister chromatids during meiosis. If the recombination frequency between two genes is less than 50 percent, they are linked.

A homologous pair of chromosomes has three genes, named A, B, and C. Gene A is located near the top of the chromosome, and genes B and C are located close together near the bottom. Each chromosome has different A, B, and C alleles. The alleles may recombine if a crossover occurs between them, so that genetic material from one chromosome is swapped with another. Genes A and B are far apart on the chromosome such that a crossover event occurring almost anywhere in the chromosome will result in the recombination of alleles for these genes. Genes B and C are much closer together, so only crossovers occurring in a very narrow region will result in recombination of these genes.
Crossover may occur at different locations on the chromosome. Recombination between genes A and B is more frequent than recombination between genes B and C because genes A and B are farther apart. Therefore, a crossover is more likely to occur between them.

The generation of genetic maps requires markers, just as a road map requires landmarks (such as rivers and mountains). Scientists based early genetic maps on using known genes as markers. Scientists now use more sophisticated markers, including those based on non-coding DNA, to compare individuals’ genomes in a population. Although individuals of a given species are genetically similar, they are not identical. Every individual has a unique set of traits. These minor differences in the genome between individuals in a population are useful for genetic mapping purposes. In general, a good genetic marker is a region on the chromosome that shows variability or polymorphism (multiple forms) in the population.

Some genetic markers that scientists use in generating genetic maps are restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP), variable number of tandem repeats (VNTRs), microsatellite polymorphisms, and the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). We can detect RFLPs (sometimes pronounced “rif-lips”) when the DNA of an individual is cut with a restriction endonuclease that recognizes specific sequences in the DNA to generate a series of DNA fragments, which we can then analyze using gel electrophoresis. Every individual’s DNA will give rise to a unique pattern of bands when cut with a particular set of restriction endonucleases. Scientists sometimes refer to this as an individual’s DNA “fingerprint.” Certain chromosome regions that are subject to polymorphism will lead to generating the unique banding pattern. VNTRs are repeated sets of nucleotides present in DNA’s non-coding regions. Non-coding, or “junk,” DNA has no known biological function; however, research shows that much of this DNA is actually transcribed. While its function is uncertain, it is certainly active, and it may be involved in regulating coding genes. The number of repeats may vary in a population’s individual organisms. Microsatellite polymorphisms are similar to VNTRs, but the repeat unit is very small. SNPs are variations in a single nucleotide.

Because genetic maps rely completely on the natural process of recombination, natural increases or decreases in the recombination level given genome area affects mapping. Some parts of the genome are recombination hotspots; whereas, others do not show a propensity for recombination. For this reason, it is important to look at mapping information developed by multiple methods.