Experiment
Linkage analysis using 137 markers at an average resolution of 11 cM was performed on 169 (129P3/J x C57BL/6ByJ)F2 intercross animals to identify QTLs associated with ethanol consumption and preference. Parental strain C57BL/6ByJ exhibits greater preference and intake of ethanol compared to 129P3/J. The animals were subjected to a two-bottle test over a period of 8 days. During the first 4 days a water bottle containing 3% ethanol solution is used, and during the last 4 days a water bottle containing 10%ethanol solution is used. A previously mapped QTL, Ap3q, on mouse Chromosome 4 was detected in this study. Novel QTLs on mouse Chromosome 7 (Ap7q) and mouse Chromosome 8 (Ap8q) were identified.
Ap7q is strongly associated with 10% ethanol consumption andweakly associated with 3% ethanol consumption. Ap7q maps to 25 cM on mouse Chromosome 7 with peak linkage (LOD=4.37) at D7Mit69 and spans 11.4 cM - 25.5 cM. C57BL/6ByJ-derived alleles confer dominantly-inherited increase in 10% ethanol intake at this locus.
Ap8q is a male-specific locus strongly associated with 3% ethanol preference and consumption. Ap8q maps to 8 cM on mouse Chromosome 8 with peak linkage (LOD=3.65) at D8Mit95 and spans 0 cM - 27 cM. This locus exhibits additive inheritance with C57BL/6ByJ-derived alleles conferring increased ethanol intake.
Suggestive QTLs were detected on mouse Chromosomes 2 (50 cM, LOD=2.2 at D2Mit12), 9 (25 cM, LOD=2.62 at D9Mit25), 12 (15 cM, LOD=2.75 at D12Mit46), 13 (45 cM, LOD=1.93 at D13Mit147), 17 (30 cM, LOD=3.13 at D17Mit6), and 18 (20 cM, LOD=2.24 at D18Mit55).
Analysis Tools