Generation of expressed sequence tags and sequence-tagged sites as physical landmarks in the mosquito, Aedes aegypti, genome

Abstract

Twenty-three clones were developed as expressed sequence tags (ESTs) and sequence-tagged sites (STSs) that provide broad coverage of the mosquito, Aedes aegypti, genome at an average spacing of about 7.2 cM. Each of these clones had been mapped previously as a restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) marker. Nineteen of these clones represent anonymous cDNAs and 4 clones represent known genes. Forty-seven percent of the anonymous cDNAs showed significant deduced amino acid sequence similarity to previously described sequences from a wide variety of organisms. STSs developed from RFLPs will provide effective tools for rapid screening of YAC and cosmid libraries, and will therefore, provide anchor points for contig construction for any region in the A. aegypti genome. Also, they facilitate the simultaneous integration of physical and genetic mapping data for A. aegypti. Key words : STS, EST, RFLP, restriction fragment length polymorphisms, QTL, quantitative trait loci.