Newsletter 26

Pig Genome Update No. 26
angenmap@iastate.edu
September 1, 1997

Nashville was the site for the recent 89th American Society of Animal Science annual meetings. The meetings featured several sessions including molecular genetics. A number of pig gene mapping or gene identification papers and posters were presented. Highlighted sessions dealt with growth and development and included papers on several new developments in the area. Abstracts can be found on the web at the American Society of Animal Science home page (http://www.asas.org).
The Neal A. Jorgensen Travel Award will be presented to one graduate student (not postdoc) from a U.S. laboratory to present a pig gene mapping poster at the PAGVI meeting. The award is for $300 plus registration. To apply, please send a cover letter and a copy of your abstract to the U.S. Pig Genome Coordinator by November 5, 1997. A committee will select the winner. More details are given on page 2 of this newsletter.
The third set of fluorescently labeled primers for pig microsatellites is now ready for distribution. This third set is composed of 53 pairs of fluorescent primers and makes the total number of fluorescent primer pairs distributed by the U.S. Pig Genome Coordinator to 149 pairs. The selection of the primer pairs was based on recommendations from various Pig Genome Coordination Project participants taking into consideration the coverage of the porcine genome and avoidance of overlapping with existing markers. The PCR product sizes and fluorescent dyes have been chosen such that multi- plexing is possible for the convenience of the users. All three sets (Set I, February, 1996; Set II, September, 1996 and Set III, August, 1997) of fluorescent primer information are integrated and can be found at at http://www.genome.iastate.edu then browse down to the "Fluorescent primers". To request fluorescent primers, please contact the U.S. Pig Genome Coordinator at . Funds for these materials are provided by the USDA-CSREES Pig Genome Coordination Project. Suggestions to produce additional primer pairs are still welcome.
Differential Display PCR (dd-PCR) is a powerful method for elucidating differences and/or changes in gene expression between animals with divergent phenotypes. This primer set consists of 10 oligo-dT anchor antisense primers with different 2-base extensions on the 3' end, and 20 arbitrary 10-mer sense primers (5'), yielding a total of 200 primer combinations for screening cDNA populations. Each anchor primer has T7 sequence on the 5' end, while each arbitrary primer has M13 sequence on the 5' end. These extensions allow for simplified reamplification, sequencing, and expression studies of bands of interest. The set was put together by Daniel Pomp and is available for distribution. Given the more limited production of these primers, priority for distribution will be NC-210 members and pig gene researchers. If interested, please request primers from the Pig Genome Coordinator at mfrothsc@iastate.edu.
The pig genome database is expanding. The new generic single species database (Arkdb) developed by the Bioinformatics group at the Roslin Institute has been implemented for pig genome mapping data. The database has grown considerably (thanks to Alison Brown (Roslin) and Lizhen Wang (Iowa) who are performing the curation efforts at Roslin and Ames). At present there are nearly 500 citations, over 1500 loci, 345 clones, 82 libraries and 3 linkage and 1 physical maps in the database. At present PiGBASE is only mounted on the Roslin Institute genome server [URL = http://www.ri.bbsrc.ac.uk/ pigmap/pigbase/pigbase.html] or [URL = http://www.ri.bbsrc.ac.uk/cgi-bin/arkdb/browsers/browser.sh?species=pig]. It is planned that a mirror copy of the database will be mounted at one or more sites in North America beginning with Iowa State this fall. Meanwhile, there are of course links to PiGBASE from the US Pig Genome Coordinator's page [URL = http://www.genome.iastate.edu]. Editorial responsibility for the new pig genome database will continue to be shared by Alan Archibald (Roslin Institute) and Max Rothschild (Iowa State University). If you have comments, questions or concerns feel free to contact us about the new version.
Now it is the time to make your hotel reservations and travel plans for PAGVI meeting in San Diego. The Plant and Animal Genome VI will be January 18-22, 1998 and again will be in San Diego. The organizing committee has nearly completed the planning for next year's PAGVI. Some excellent work- shops have been organized. Hotel accommodations for PAG-VI next January will be limited by the Superbowl following us into San Diego on the weekend after the meeting. Those who wish to attend PAGVI will need to get their application forms in promptly. These have been distributed and are on the web. If you missed PAGV, you can find the abstracts and other information at: http://probe.nalusda.gov:8000/otherdocs/pg/pg5/allabstracts.html.
It is not too late to plan to go to Armidale. The 6th World Congress on Quantitative Genetics Applied to Livestock meets January 10-16 in Armidale, Australia. Gene mapping and QTL sessions are planned. Some very interesting sessions are planned. Registrations are due in early September.
It is early but plans for the 1998 ISAG conference are underway and are included in the ISAG (International Society for Animal Genetics) web site (http://www.wisc.edu/animalsci/isag/index.html). The 1998 conference will take place from August 9-14, 1998 in Auckland, New Zealand. The program is shaping up well and looks like an exciting venue. For more detailed information, please contact Ian Anderson via email at ebtu@manawatu.gen.nz.
Need some help to travel this next year? As in the past some limited assistance may be available for active U.S. pig genome members to travel to the ISAG meeting in New Zealand. If you hope to go and need some assistance, please contact the U.S. Pig Genome Coordinator soon.
Upcoming meetings:
International Course in QTL Detection and Marker-Assisted Selection, Mitzpa Rachel Convention Center, Jerusalem, Israel, August 24-Sept. 4, 1997. Contact: Joel Weller at weller@agri.huji.ac.il.
6th World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia, January 12-16, 1998. Contact: Dr. Laurie Piper at 61 67 73-3609, Fax: 61 67 73-3611, email: 6wcgalp@mendel.une.edu.au.
PAGVI, January 18-22, San Diego CA.
XXVI International Conference on Animal Genetics is August 9-14, 1998 in Auckland, New Zealand. Chairman of organizing committee is Ian Anderson (ebtu@manawatu.gen.nz).
Summer is ending and so is my 4th year as Coordinator. Thanks to some great help from U.S. pig genome scientists, administrators, foreign colleagues (especially the PiGMaP coordinators and participants) and several people in the pig industry the work has gone well. I am always looking for new ideas to help facilitate the pig genome research. Please feel free to email me or call me with suggestions. Your input is always welcome and appreciated!
Contributions to the next Pig Genome Update 27, including short meeting announcements, are always welcome. Please send by October 10.
                    Max Rothschild
                    U.S. Pig Genome Coordinator
                    225 Kildee Hall, Department of Animal Science
                    Iowa State University
                    Ames, Iowa 50011
                    Phone: 515-294-6202, Fax: 515-294-2401
                    mfrothsc@iastate.edu
cc: Dick Frahm, CSREES and Roger Gerrits, ARS
U.S. PIG GENOME COORDINATION PROJECT

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