The purpose of this project is to map genes for female preference within the t-complex. The t-complex is found on Chromosome 17 of the house mouse (Mus species). The genetic variant known as "t haplotype" within this region is characterized by:1) the possession of recessive lethal factors producing death of homozygous (t/t) mice during embryonic development 2) genes that distort the transmission of sperm such that 70-90% of the progeny of a +/t male inherit his t-haplotype . Additionally, previous work in my laboratory has indicated that t-haplotypes also carry genes that result in +/t females having strong preferences for +/+ as opposed to +/t males. The experiments in the proposed project are designed to 1: Systematically test females carrying different t-haplotypes for preference to determine whether differences exist among t-haplotypes in the gene(s) for preference 2: test females carrying partial haplotypes (haplotypes that carry part, but not all of the genes normally associated with a complete t-haplotype) for preference to map where, within the large (15cm) t-complex the gene(s) for female preference are located 3: Test wild-caught females carrying partial haplotypes for preference to determine whether partial haplotypes in wild females have been produced by recombination from complete haplotypes or instead, represent ancestral building blocks from which t-haplotypes have been later assembled.
