**POULTRY GENOME NEWSLETTER** Issue No. 4, October, 1997

*PLANT AND ANIMAL GENOME VI* (PAG-VI) with NAGRP/NC-168

To be held Jan. 18-22, 1998, in San Diego, CA.

REGISTER NOW!! An exciting program has been planned for the Plant and Animal Genome VI meetings next January. The NC-168 and the Poultry Species Committee of the National Animal Genome Research Program (NAGRP) will meet jointly (as usual) as a PAG-VI Workshop from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 18 and the full NAGRP Technical Committee will meet Tuesday afternoon. PAG-VI presentations run from Monday (19th) through Thursday (22nd). Read all about it at http://probe.nalusda.gov:8000/otherdocs/pg/pg6/pag6.html and either register on-line or download the registration form at http://www.scherago.com. Abstracts must be submitted by Nov. 3, and the deadline for the reduced registration fee is Nov. 14. Outstanding speakers including Lee Hood, Grahame Bulfield, Morris Soller, and Nat Bumstead, among others, will speak. Hotel accomodations for PAG-VI will be limited since the Superbowl follows us into San Diego on the weekend after the meeting. Those who wish to attend will need to get their application forms in promptly.

SUPPORT TO ATTEND PAG-VI: Within the limits of our budget, travel assistance to PAG-VI from Coordination funds will again be available to those NRSP-8 participants (or their lab members) who need it. If interested, contact the Coordinators at the email addresses below asap. First come/first served.

GRAD STUDENTS ONLY: Note also that $300 travel awards and complementary registration will be competitively awarded as the Neal A. Jorgensen Genome Travel Awards ( more details available at the above WWW site). STUDENTS INTERESTED IN POULTRY GENE MAPPING SHOULD PROVIDE A LETTER OF REQUEST AND COPY OF THEIR ABSTRACT TO THE COORDINATORS ASAP AND NO LATER THAN NOV. 5. (Email submissions are welcome.)

*NATIONAL ANIMAL GENOME RESEARCH PROGRAM* (NAGRP)

PART II, THE RENEWAL

NRSP-8, the USDA cooperative National Research Support Project that supports coordination efforts of the NAGRP, ends Sept. 30, 1998. In hopes of continuing this support, a competitive renewal proposal is being submitted (as described in the April issue). Drafts of the Renewal Proposal, Critical Review (i.e., progress report) and Publication List have been sent by the writing committee to all regular members and several other interested parties. Please send your corrections, additions, complaints, etc. to 22314jbd@msu.edu as soon as possible. Also let me know if you would like a copy, but do not receive one shortly.

*USDA-NRI 1998 COMPETITIVE GRANT SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED*

Program descriptions and deadline dates have been announced for the 1998 cycle of USDA-CSREES National Research Initiative competitive grants program. See the CSREES Website at the URL of http://www.reeusda.gov/nri, where you can also download the new grant application forms. Paper copies can be obtained from psb@reeusda.gov. Good luck to all applicants!!

MORE MEETING NEWS:

ISAG DOWN UNDER

The next meeting of the International Society for Animal Genetics will be held in Auckland, New Zealand on August 9-14, 1998 (contact details listed below). Limited travel support will be available to NRSP-8 members. If interested, please contact us asap.

GEORGIA ON MY MIND: PSA REPORT

The 86th Meeting of the Poultry Science Association was recently held in Athens, Georgia. Space here allows us to recount only a few genetics-related highlights. . Sue Lamont opened the Ancillary Scientists Syposium on Infectious Poultry Diseases by describing the central role of disease resistance genes. Later in the meeting, work on non-MHC genetic influences on Rous sarcoma virus and src-induced tumors from Drs. Taylor, Briles, LePage, and colleagues was described. Rob Etches spoke about continuing improvements in the development of chimeric and transgenic chickens in the Physiology/Embryonic Differentiation session. In the Genetics session, Mary Delany described her research on rDNA genes and their relation to growth, Bob Smyth discussed mapping of vitiligo genes in Smyth line chickens, and the McGill U. group described associations between ODC and GH genes and QTL. Presentations were also made on ataxia (Wisconsin), PCR sex-identification (NC State), selected turkey and quail lines (Ohio State) and heterosis for growth traits (Tuskegee). [Summary from Steve Suchyta.]

RETURN OF THE PRODIGAL: CHENG VISITS EUROPEAN COLLEAGUES

Hans Cheng has just returned from the European Breeders Roundtable in Prague, with a side trip to visit Nat Bumstead's lab in Compton. He was extremely impressed with the effort committed to physical and genetic map development for the chicken in Europe, especially at the labs in Compton, Wageningen, Roslin, Israel, and France. Rapid progress is being made on many fronts. As just one example, if you haven't yet seen it, Bumstead and co-workers elucidated the key role of the chicken NRAMP1 and TNC genes in Salmonella resistance in Hu et al., Genome Research 7:693-704 (July) 1997. See also the Insight/Outlook article by Michel Georges discussing this as a prime example of comparative QTL mapping (ibid., pp. 663-665.)

GENES FOR FOODIES: A NATIONAL FOOD GENOME STRATEGY

A variety of agricultural genome-related proposals are now under consideration by Congress. These range from support for Sequencing the Corn Genome (at NSF) to others more broadly focused on food-related plants, animals, and microbes. For example, the proposal made to Congress by USDA (REE) for the Farm Bill Reauthorization promoted "a new competitive grants program to invest in a National Food Genome Strategy, comprised of the Plant Genome Initiative and the Animal Genome Initiative." As noted last issue, Neal Jorgensen and Dick Frahm have been instrumental in representing animal genomics in this process. At this writing, differences in various proposals have yet to be resolved and action completed. Stay tuned.

CHECK IT OUT!! NEW LOOK FOR POULTRY GENOME HOMEPAGE

As noted last time, we have contracted with a group of students to refine, enhance and manage the Poultry Genome Homepage. The new version (still at http://poultry.mph.msu.edu) has been divided into major domain areas: "About" (contains general info items), "Maps & Tables", "Newsletters", "Database" (links to Roslin CHICKGBASE and the Crittenden Reference Database), and "Links" (to a wide variety of related sites). The new format allows more rapid navigation between these interest domains. Please take a look, and send your suggestions and comments to Neil Sarker (sarkarin@pilot.msu.edu). Hans and I are also working on updating the available map information, tables of microsatellite data, and map graphics.

*REMINDER: MICROSATELLITE PRIMER KIT # 3*

As reported last issue, the 3rd comprehensive mapping kit of fluorescently-labeled chicken microsatellite primers is now available. This kit contains 275 new microsatellite primer pairs (beyond the 244 pairs already in Kits #1 and 2). These markers are based on new microsatellites developed by Martien Groenen (Crooijmans et al., in press) of Wageningen University (MCW loci) and Terry Burke of the University of Leicester (LEI loci). The microsatellites have been mapped by the Groenen lab on the large Euribred B.V. population and, where possible, on the East Lansing and/or Compton maps. Because of the large number of meioses tested, the resulting Wageningen map (Groenen et al.) has finer detail at this point than either the East Lansing or Compton reference maps. The Wageningen map has yet to be published but will eventually be available through the Animal Breeding and Genetics Homepage at Wageningen (www.zod.wau.nl/~www-vf). Information on Kit #3 has been posted under "Microsatellite Marker Information and Available Primer Kits" in the "Maps and Tables" section of our Homepage (http://poultry.mph.msu.edu). As in the past, this kit will be available free of charge to those involved in major mapping efforts. Email me (22314jbd@msu.edu) or Hans Cheng (hcheng@msu.edu) if you are interested. SPECIAL THANKS TO MARTIEN GROENEN FOR PROVIDING PRIMER SEQUENCES IN ADVANCE OF PUBLICATION SO THAT WE COULD DEVELOP THIS KIT. ONE CAVEAT: Some of the earlier markers in this Kit developed by the Groenen lab are the subject of patent applications by Euribred B.V. which financed the Groenen effort. Inquiries about the use of these primers should be directed to Euribred as noted in Poultry Science 75:746-754, 1996. The kit is offered with the understanding that appropriate use of potentially patented material is the responsibility of the user and not of the Poultry Coordinators. This brings the number of free fluorescent chicken microsatellite primers available through the NAGRP to over 500 pairs. A small number of Chicken microsatellite primer kits #1 and #2 and our Population tester primer kit (9 highly polymorphic primer pairs for strain identification purposes) are still available..

*THE EMERITUS CORNER*

Coordinator Emeritus Lyman Crittenden sends word that he and Margaret have finally moved to their new home near Madison, WI. Critt's new address is 8550 Highway 19, Cross Plains, WI 53528-9300. Critt's email address remains the same (crittend@itis.com)

(SPEAKING OF "THE GOOD LIFE")

Long time NC-168 participant, gene mapper, and good friend Gene Smith recently retired from the USDA Avian Disease and Oncology Lab. Best wishes to Gene (and especially to his wife) for a happy and fulfilling retirement. We hope to see him back hanging around ADOL often.

UPCOMING MEETINGS:

6th World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia, January 12-16, 1998. Contact: Registration: 61 67 72-9066, Fax: 61 67 72-2244, email: ozfront@tpgi.com.au; Program Info.: 61-67-73-5120, 6wcgalp@mendel.une.edu.au; Homepage: http://www.une.edu.au/~6wcgalp.

Plant and Animal Genome VI; San Diego, CA, January 18-22, 1998; associated with National Animal Genome Research Program meeting and NC-168 Regional Research meeting. Submit abstracts and view conference info. at http://probe.nalusda.gov:8000/otherdocs/pg/pg6/pag6.html. Register on-line or download the registration form at http://www.scherago.com or contact Scherago Intl. at pag@scherago.com, tel. no.: (212) 643-1750, Fax: (212) 643-1758. Abstracts due by Nov. 3; register at lower fee by Nov. 14; make hotel reservations asap.

Poultry Science Association, Penn State University, August 3-7, 1998; contact: Poultry Science Association, 1111 North Dunlap Avenue, Savoy, IL 61874 or http://gallus.tamu.edu/psa/psa.html/

International Society for Animal Genetics, Auckland, New Zealand, August 9-14, 1998. Conference info: Ian Anderson, 64-6-356-9099 x7261, Fax: 64-6-350-5621, ebtu@manawatu.gen.nz; Program inquiries: Tom Broad, 64-3-489-3809, Fax: 64-3-489-9308, broad@agresearch.cri.nz; http://www.wisc.edu/animalsci/isag/index.html

PUT YOUR ITEM OF INTEREST HERE

We are always happy to include items of general interest to the poultry genetics community in the Poultry Genome Newsletter. Please email your contributions to us at the addresses below. The next issue of the Newsletter (the "Holiday" issue) will be coming out near the end of 1997, so please send any items by December 15 to be sure it gets into this issue.

Addresses:

Jerry Dodgson, Poultry Coordinator; email: 22314jbd@msu.edu

Dept. of Microbiology, Giltner Hall

Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI 48824

Lyman Crittenden, Coordinator Emeritus.; email: crittend@itis.com

8550 Highway 19

Cross Plains, WI 53528-9300

Hans Cheng, Co-Coord.

ADOL

USDA-ARS

3606 E. Mt. Hope Ave.

East Lansing, MI 48823

email: hcheng@pilot.msu.edu

Supported by Regional Research Funds, Hatch Act, to the

National Research Service Program: NRSP-8.

National Animal Genome Research Program, Richard Frahm, Director, CSREES