These attributes along with dense marker coverage and genome-wide chromosomal introgressions make this population an ideal starting point for discovery of genes underlying important complex traits of agricultural and ecological significance.
This physical map is a powerful tool for accelerating genomic studies in cichlid fishes, including comparative mapping among fish species, long-range assembly of genomic shotgun sequences, and the positional cloning of genes underlying important phenotypic traits.
These studies pave the way for mapping of genes underlying important parasite traits such as drug resistance and pathogenesis as well as for evolutionary analysis of selection in a parasite genome.
In addition to providing a better understanding of the organization, function, and evolution of a large and polyploid genome, the availability of a high-quality sequence anchored to genetic maps will accelerate the identification of genes underlying important agronomic traits.
Additionally, a physical map would facilitate tremendously the isolation of genes underlying important traits in the Triticeae species.
This will allow more involved molecular mapping, in-depth study of molecular mechanisms underlying important agronomic traits and introgression of traits from B. rapa to major oilseed crops - B. juncea (AABB) and B. napus (AACC).
EST-derived SNPs are also a rich source of candidate polymorphisms underlying important traits leading to the identification of quantitative trait nucleotides (QTN) (e.g. [ 69]) linked to ecologically relevant genes.
In addition to be used as markers for mapping, SNPs are also considered a rich source of candidate polymorphisms underlying important traits leading to the identification of causative genes or quantitative trait nucleotide (QTN) [ 43].
Although a recent eel population structure assessment using randomly spread EST-linked (Type I) markers did not evidence any spatial genetic differentiation (Pujolar et al. 2009), the detection of genetic variation underlying important phenotypic traits requires additional in depth analyses of the eel genome (ongoing study) (Maes and Volckaert 2007; Nielsen et al. 2009).
Progress in early detection has been of special significance, underlying important changes in diagnostic guidelines for Alzheimer disease.
