Journal of Oil Palm Research Vol. 15 No. 1, June 2003, p. 12-20
PRELIMINARY ATTEMPTS AT THE CONSTRUCTION OF LARGE INSERT DNA LIBRARIES OF OIL PALM (Elaeis guineensis JACQ.)
Oil palm is one of the most important oil bearing crops, being by far the highest oil yielder per unit land area in the world. In order to facilitate oil palm genome analysis leading to physical mapping, identification of molecular markers associated with quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and map-based cloning, we attempted to develop the tools and techniques needed to construct a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library for oil palm. A suitable methods to purify and prepare the single copy vector (pBeloBACII) for BAC transformation was established. The proper partial digestion conditions for oil palm megabase DNA for BAC library construction were also determined. Several BAC clones were successfully identified. Hybridization of these BAC clones with oil palm DNA as probe confirmed the presence of oil palm DNA in those clones.
KEYWORDS:* Malaysian Palm Oil Board, P. O. Box 10620, 50720 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
E-mail: rajinder@mpob.gov.my
** Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge MA 02139, USA.
+ Department of Biology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400
UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
++ Department of Animal Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia,
43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.