Genetic Analysis of Hybrid Cells Using Isozyme Markers as Monitors of Chromosome Segregation

The construction of somatic cell hybrids between different mammalian species has provided an important technique for the development of genetic maps of a variety of biologic species. The human genetic map has been derived almost exclusively from genetic analysis of rodent × human cells (Ruddle and Creagan, 1975; McKusick and Ruddle, 1977). The murine genetic map originally progressed largely through sexual genetic analysis between inbred strains homozygous for different alleles at various loci (Miller and Miller, 1972; Davisson and Roderick, 1980). However, the addition to the map of numerous biochemical loci which did not vary between inbred strains has more recently been provided by analysis of mouse × hamster cell hybrids which preferentially segregate murine chromosomes (Lalley et al., 1978a,b; Francke and Taggart, 1980; Womack, 1980). In addition, fairly extensive biochemical genetic maps of chimpanzee, gorilla, orangutan, and the domestic cat have been prepared using similar technologies (Pearson et al., 1979, 1981; O’Brien and Nash, 1982).