Mapping of panda plumage color locus on the microsatellite linkage map of the Japanese quail

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Background</jats:title> <jats:p>Panda (<jats:italic>s</jats:italic>) is an autosomal recessive mutation, which displays overall white plumage color with spots of wild-type plumage in the Japanese quail (<jats:italic>Coturnix japonica</jats:italic>). In a previous study, the <jats:italic>s</jats:italic> locus was included in the same linkage group as serum albumin (<jats:italic>Alb</jats:italic>) and vitamin-D binding protein (<jats:italic>GC</jats:italic>) which are mapped on chicken (<jats:italic>Gallus gallus</jats:italic>) chromosome 4 (GGA4). In this study, we mapped the <jats:italic>s</jats:italic> locus on the microsatellite linkage map of the Japanese quail by linkage analysis.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Results</jats:title> <jats:p>Segregation data on the <jats:italic>s</jats:italic> locus were obtained from three-generation families (<jats:italic>n</jats:italic> = 106). Two microsatellite markers derived from the Japanese quail chromosome 4 (CJA04) and three microsatellite markers derived from GGA4 were genotyped in the three-generation families. We mapped the <jats:italic>s</jats:italic> locus between <jats:italic>GUJ0026</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>ABR0544</jats:italic> on CJA04. By comparative mapping with chicken, this locus was mapped between 10.0 Mb and 14.5 Mb region on GGA4. In this region, the endothelin receptor B subtype 2 gene (<jats:italic>EDNRB2</jats:italic>), an avian-specific paralog of the mammalian endothelin receptor B gene (<jats:italic>EDNRB</jats:italic>), is located. Because <jats:italic>EDNRB</jats:italic> is responsible for aganglionic megacolon and spot coat color in mouse, rat and equine, <jats:italic>EDNRB2</jats:italic> is suggested to be a candidate gene for the <jats:italic>s</jats:italic> locus.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Conclusion</jats:title> <jats:p>The <jats:italic>s</jats:italic> locus and the five microsatellite markers were mapped on CJA04 of the Japanese quail. <jats:italic>EDNRB2</jats:italic> was suggested to be a candidate gene for the <jats:italic>s</jats:italic> locus.</jats:p> </jats:sec>