Assignment of the scavenger receptor class B, member 2 gene <i>(SCARB2)</i> to porcine chromosome 8q11→q12 by somatic cell and radiation hybrid panel mapping

The identifi cation of genes controlling infectious disease is an important step towards increasing disease resistance in the pig. Infectious diseases increase the cost of production (Wegener et al., 2003), and, for zoonotic pathogens, also impact food safety (Beloeil et al., 2004). Disease resistance has genetic heritability, and the mapping of genes involved in natural resistance (innate immunity) has been reported (Tuggle et al., 1997; Sun et al., 1998). Quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for immune parameters (Edfors-Lilja et al., 1998) and immune capacity traits have been reported (Edfors-Lilja et al., 2000). The objective of this research was to map a gene identifi ed as having altered gene expression patterns within the mesenteric lymph nodes of swine during infection with Salmonella enterica serotype Choleraesuis. The SCARB2 gene has been shown to increase RNA expression within 24 h postinfection, and was identifi ed using Suppression Subtractive Hybridization (SSH) (Uthe et al., manuscript in preparation). Overall, this gene is an excellent candidate for participating