Genome-wide scanning for QTL: Mapping methodology and detected QTL in cattle

The availability of highly polymorphic microsatellite DNA markers on genetic maps in different livestock species and their association with phenotypes now gives geneticists and breeders an effective tool for the detection of quantitative trait loci (QTL) affecting traits of interest. This paper reviews QTL detection methodology with emphasis on multi-point interval mapping in half-sib populations. It also summarises published reports on QTLs detected by researchers in the bovine genome and suggests the way forward for QTL mapping in Japanese Black cattle.