Recovery of probes linked to the jcpk locus on mouse chromosome 10 by the use of an improved representational difference analysis technique.

Representational difference analysis (RDA) is a subtractive hybridization technique by which the differences between two complex genomes can be isolated. An improved version of this technique was used to isolate DNA segments that map to a narrow genetic region adjacent to the jcpk locus on Chromosome 10 of the mouse. A mutation at this locus acts recessively and causes an early onset polycystic kidney disease. Genomic subtractions involving DNA from C57BL/6 (B6) and its partially congenic partner, B6-jcpk/jcpk, produced 39 restriction fragments (difference products), 25 of which were unique and represented differences in BglII sites between these two strains. Although none identified the jcpk locus itself, 7 of these were mapped to an interval between 3.4 and 6.5 cM distal to the jcpk locus. Five of these 7 difference products were developed by subtracting B6-jcpk/jcpk from B6 DNA, but only 1 of the 5 was isolated using the original RDA technique. The other 4 were obtained by an improved technique that included size selection of difference products after the third round of subtractive hybridization and amplification. The remaining 2 of the mapped products resulted from the reciprocal subtraction experiment using the improvements. Thus, by this improved technique and two-way subtraction, we were able to add seven new markers to a relatively small genetic region on Chromosome 10.