Abstract

Doc number: 248

Abstract

Background: While the genetics of diploid inheritance are well studied and software for linkage mapping, haplotyping and QTL analysis are available, for tetraploids the available tools are limited. In order to develop such tools it would be helpful if simulated populations based on a variety of models of the tetraploid meiosis would be available.

Results: Here we present PedigreeSim, a software package that simulates meiosis in both diploid and tetraploid species and uses this to simulate pedigrees and cross populations. For tetraploids a variety of models can be used, including both bivalent and quadrivalent formation, varying degrees of preferential pairing of hom(oe)ologous chromosomes, different quadrivalent configurations and more. Simulation of quadrivalent meiosis results as expected in double reduction and recombination between more than two hom(oe)ologous chromosomes. The results are shown to match theoretical predictions.

Conclusions: This is the first simulation software that implements all features of meiosis in tetraploids. It allows to generate data for tetraploid and diploid populations, and to investigate different models of tetraploid meiosis. The software and manual are available from http://www.plantbreeding.nl/UK/software_pedigreeSim.html and as Additional files 1, 2, 3 and 4 with this publication.

Additional file 1

Archive containing the compiled version of PedigreeSim and instructions on how to run it.

Click here for file

Additional file 2

Archive containing the full source code of PedigreeSim.

Click here for file

Additional file 3

The PedigreeSim Manual.

Click here for file

Additional file 4:

Archive containing the example input files for PedigreeSim.

Click here for file

Details

Title
The simulation of meiosis in diploid and tetraploid organisms using various genetic models
Author
Voorrips, Roeland E; Maliepaard, Chris A
Pages
248
Publication year
2012
Publication date
2012
Publisher
BioMed Central
e-ISSN
14712105
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
1268159731
Copyright
© 2012 Voorrips and Maliepaard; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.