Experiment
Genome scan at an average marker density of 20 cM was performed using 141 (C57BL/6J x DBA/2J)F2 female animals at 16 months of age to identify QTLs associated with femur morphometric traits. Significant linkage to femur length was detected for an interval on mouse Chromosome 3, Fembm1 (LOD = 6.09 at D3Mit51), spanning 10 cM - 40 cM. C57BL/6J-derived alleles confer dominantly inherited increased femur size at Fembm1. Candidate genes in the region of Fembm1 include Shox2, Bglap1, Csf1, de, Col11a1, and Pitx2. Fembm2, a locus suggestively associated with femur length, maps to mouse Chromosome 14 with a LOD score of 3.43 at D14Mit35. A candidate gene in the region of Fembm2 is bone morphogenetic protein 1 (Bmp1). Loci linked to femur width map to mouse Chromosome 7 (Fembm3; LOD = 6.85 at D7Mit7), mouse Chromosome 2 (Fembm4; LOD = 4.59 at D2Mit63) and mouse Chromosome 4 (Fembm5; LOD = 4.2 at D4Mit54). Fembm3 is associated with femur width on the anterior-posterior and lateral planes and spans 65 cM-85 cM on mouse Chromosome 7. C57BL/6J-derived alleles confer dominantly inherited increased femur size at Fembm3. Candidate genes identified in the region of Fembm3 are Agc1, Pth, Calca, Xs, and Ol. Fembm4 is linked to femur width on the lateral plane and spans 45 cM - 73 cM on mouse Chromosome 2. DBA/2J-derived alleles confer additively inherited increased femur size at Fembm4. Candidate genes in the region of Fembm4 are Hoxd, Mdk, Fmn, Alx4, Fbn1, Il1a, Bmp2. Fembm5 is associated with width on the anterior-posterior plane and spans 69 cM - 77 cM on mouse Chromosome 4. DBA/2J-derived alleles confer additively inherited increased femur size at Fembm5. Candidate genes identified in the region of Fembm5 are ct, Akp2, and Nppb. Fembm6 and Fembm7 are loci suggestively linked to intertrochanteric femur width on mouse Chromosome 6 (LOD = 4.35 at D6Mit198) and mouse Chromosome 19 (LOD = 3.15 at D19Mit8), respectively. Fembm6 spans approximately 61 cM-74 cM on mouse Chromosome 6. Candidate genes in the region of Fembm6 arePparg, Gdf3, Mglap, and Pthlh. Candidate genes identified in the region of Fembm7 are Papss2 and Fbxw4.