The paternal gene of the DDK syndrome maps to the Schlafen gene cluster on mouse chromosome 11.

ABSTRACT: The DDK syndrome is an early embryonic lethal phenotype observed in crosses between females of the DDK inbred mouse strain and many non-DDK males. Lethality results from an incompatibility between a maternal DDK factor and a non-DDK paternal gene, both of which have been mapped to the Ovum mutant (Om) locus on mouse chromosome 11. Here we define a 465-kb candidate interval for the paternal gene by recombinant progeny testing. To further refine the candidate interval we determined whether males from 17 classical and wild-derived inbred strains are interfertile with DDK females. We conclude that the incompatible paternal allele arose in the Mus musculus domesticus lineage and that incompatible strains should share a common haplotype spanning the paternal gene. We tested for association between paternal allele compatibility/incompatibility and 167 genetic variants located in the candidate interval. Two diallelic SNPs, located in the Schlafen gene cluster, are completely predictive of the polar-lethal phenotype. These SNPs also predict the compatible or incompatible status of males of five additional strains.

SUBMITTER: Bell TA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1456169 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature