Characterization of five microsatellite loci in the Pine Processionary Moth Thaumetopoea pityocampa (Lepidoptera Notodontidae Thaumetopoeinae)

Five microsatellite markers were developed for the lepidopteran species Thaumetopoea pityocampa using an enrichment protocol. All loci could be amplified with no evidence of null alleles and will be useful for population genetic studies. The number of alleles ranged from three to 12 for a population of 30 individuals. Observed heterozygosities ranged from 0.53 to 0.80. No significant heterozygote deficiency was detected. Four markers might be of interest for Th. wilkinsoni.     

Isolation and characterization of eleven polymorphic microsatellite markers of sand lance (Ammodytes personatus)

Eleven polymorphic microsatellite markers were developed to delineate population structure of Ammodytes personatus. These markers had between 8 and 27 alleles. Expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.818 to 0.965, whereas the observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.441 to 0.886. Five of the eleven markers conformed to Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. We believe the markers will be useful for genetic diversity study of A. personatus.     

Development of polymorphic microsatellite markers for the sorghum plant bug, Stenotus rubrovittatus (Heteroptera: Miridae)

Nine polymorphic microsatellite DNA markers from the sorghum plant bug, Stenotus rubrovittatus, were isolated and characterized. These markers were used to analyse 22 individuals from a single field population. The number of alleles at these nine loci ranged from two to 28 (mean = 11.4) and heterozygosity ranged from 0.27 to 0.86 (mean = 0.58). Stenotus rubrovittatus has shown rapid population growth in the decades since the first report in the 1980s of serious damage to a rice crop. These microsatellite markers will be of value for studying both the population genetics and population dynamics of S. rubrovittatus.     

Identification and characterization of microsatellite markers derived from expressed sequence tags of the sea cucumber Stichopus japonicus

Eleven polymorphic microsatellite markers were identified in expressed sequence tags generated from Stichopus japonicus cDNA libraries. The numbers of alleles ranged from three to 10, and the expected and observed heterozygosities ranged from 0.378 to 0.870 and from 0.077 to 0.690, respectively. Significant deviations from Hardy–Weinberg expectations were observed at eight loci due to homozygote excess, suggesting the widespread occurrence of null alleles. The microsatellite markers will be useful for examining genetic population structure, parentage analysis and mapping studies of S. japonicus.     

A set of microsatellite markers for use in the endangered sea urchin <Emphasis Type="Italic">Strongylocentrotus nudus</Emphasis> developed from <Emphasis Type="Italic">S. purpuratus</Emphasis> ESTs

The first set of nine microsatellite markers for the endangered sea urchin Strongylocentrotus nudus was developed from EST databases of S. purpuratus. Number of alleles per locus ranged from two to thirteen. The observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.000 to 0.645 and from 0.063 to 0.912, respectively. These informative microsatellite markers will be useful in studies of population genetic structure for this species.     

Characterization of microsatellite loci in Cacopsylla melanoneura Förster (Homoptera: Psyllidae)

Cacopsylla melanoneura is one of the main vectors of ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma mali’. We developed and described 10 microsatellite markers. Forty‐five psyllids from one population were analysed. The number of alleles ranged from six to 24 and the observed heterozygosity from 0.42 to 0.84. These markers will be useful tools for population genetic studies on C. melanoneura.     

Twelve novel microsatellite loci from an endangered marine fish species golden pompano Trachinotus blochii

The golden pompano (Trachinotus blochii) is a marine fish species in tropical regions. No information about genetic variation and population structure of wild populations is available. A first set of 12 polymorphic microsatellites isolated from this species were characterized. The number of alleles ranged from 5 to 14 with an average of 8.0 alleles per locus. All 12 markers conformed to HWE and were in linkage equilibrium. These 12 microsatellite markers supply the first set of co-dominant DNA markers for studying population genetics of the species T. blochii.     

Polymorphic markers for the sea cucumber Parastichopus californicus

Five polymorphic markers were isolated from a Parastichopus californicus genomic DNA library. In addition, a method was developed to extract DNA from both muscle and skin tissue. The number of alleles at these loci ranged from three to 14. Observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.2 to 0.9. These markers, the first of their type for a sea cucumber species, will prove useful for exploration of the population structure of P. californicus.     

Microsatellite markers for Sachalin fir (Abies sachalinensis Masters)

We developed eight polymorphic microsatellite markers from the Sachalin fir (Abies sachalinensis Masters). The number of alleles per locus ranged from eight to 31, with an average of 21.4. The observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.656 to 0.937 and from 0.710 to 0.945, respectively. These markers will be available for population genetic studies and parentage analysis.     

Isolation of microsatellite DNA and analysis on genetic diversity of endangered fish,Hucho taimen (Pallas)

Hucho taimen (Pallas) is an endangered species in China. To evaluate the species’ genetic diversity and population genetic structure, we isolated six polymorphic microsatellite markers from its genomic libraries by (ACA)₁₆ enriched, and characterized using 61 wild individuals. The number of alleles per locus ranged from two to seven, expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.3200 to 0.7410, polymorphism information content ranged from 0.3047 to 0.6896. These markers will be useful for the genetic variation assessment of taimen.     

Development of 12 polymorphic microsatellite markers in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Coilia ectenes</Emphasis> Jordan and Seale, 1905 (Clupeiformes: Engraulidae) and cross-species amplification in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Coilia mystus</Emphasis> Linnaeus, 1758

In this study, twelve polymorphic microsatellite markers were developed for Coilia ectenes (synonym C. nasus). In a sample of 30 C. ectenes individuals in a Wuhan population from Yangtze River, a total of 78 alleles were detected, and the number of alleles per locus ranged from 3 to 12. The observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.100 to 1.000 and from 0.098 to 0.899, respectively. Six loci significantly deviated from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium after Bonferroni correction (P < 0.004), and no significant linkage disequilibrium between pairs of loci was found. The applicability of these markers in a closely related species, C. mystus, was evaluated by cross-species amplification. These microsatellite markers will be useful in studies on population genetics, conservation genetics, and fishery management and in the construction of genetic linkage maps of C. ectenes and C. mystus.     

Development and characterization of 30 polymorphic microsatellite markers for the Atlantic surfclam, Spisula solidissima (Dillwyn, 1817)

Thirty polymorphic microsatellite markers were developed for the Atlantic surfclam, Spisula solidissima, from an enriched library and characterized in 24 clams from a wild population. The number of alleles ranged from 3 to 16 per locus. The expected and observed heterozygosities ranged from 0.1942 to 0.9238 and 0.0833 to 0.875 respectively. Six loci showed significant (P < 0.05 after Bonferroni correction) deviation from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium, probably because of the presence of null alleles. Three primer pairs amplified duplicated loci with two involving tandem mini‐satellite repeats. Most of the microsatellite markers developed here should be useful for genetic studies in this species.     

Application of microsatellite markers developed for arvicoline species in a population genetic study of the root vole <Emphasis Type="Italic">Microtus oeconomus</Emphasis>

Using a root vole Microtus oeconomus (Pallas, 1776) population in NE Poland we applied 31 microsatellite markers previously developed for root voles and closely related species, with the aim to improve the population genetic tools in this species. Here we present 16 polymorphic microsatellite markers grouped into four sets suitable for simultaneous amplification and genetically sex identification in M. oeconomus. The number of alleles per locus in 227 individuals varied from 7 to 26 with a low frequency of null alleles, expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.758 to 0.927, and observed heterozygosity from 0.722 to 0.947. Two loci showed significant deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (p<0.05) and all loci showed independent inheritance. We expect these markers to be useful for studies of genetic population structure and kinship of M. oeconomus populations.     

Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci in the threatened wild toad lily Tricyrtis flava (Liliaceae)

Twelve polymorphic microsatellite loci were isolated and characterized from the threatened toad lily Tricyrtis flava. The number of alleles ranged from three to 17, and the observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.35 to 0.96 and from 0.50 to 0.93, respectively, in a population of T. flava. We also tested cross‐species amplifications of the markers in three other species of Trycyrtis sect. Flavae. Most of 12 markers developed for T. flava were successfully amplified in the species of sect. Flavae and will be useful for population genetic studies of these species.     

Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci in a marine fish species,the tusk (Brosme brosme)

We developed polymerase chain reaction primers for nine dinucleotide microsatellite loci in the marine deep‐sea fish, the tusk (Brosme brosme). All markers were obtained from a partial genomic DNA library, and characterized in 100 unrelated individuals from one putative population. The number of alleles ranged from two to 60 with an average of 15/locus. The observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.020 to 0.826 (average 0.438). Several of the markers amplified multiple alleles from the two other gadoid species tested.     

dbEST-derived SSR markers in sea urchin (Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus)

Sea urchin is an important model organism for evolutionary biology, embryology, and gene regulation study. We developed and evaluated simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers from expressed sequence tags (ESTs) of Strongylocentrotus purpuratus and Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus. Characteristics of nine EST-SSR loci were investigated using 41 Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus individuals. The number of alleles per locus ranged from two to five. The observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.122 to 0.7805, while the expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.4472 to 0.7696. These loci and markers will be useful for population genetics and systemic evolution among species of sea urchin.     

Identification and characterization of microsatellite DNA markers developed in ide Leuciscus idus and Siberian roach Rutilus rutilus

The first five microsatellite markers for the ide, Leuciscus idus, and four microsatellite markers for the Siberian roach, Rutilus rutilus, were designed. Cross‐amplification of ide markers was examined in Siberian roach and vice versa. The number of alleles per locus ranged from three to 13 in ide and from two to eight in roach. The expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.313 to 0.909 in ide and from 0.119 to 0.775 in roach. These markers could be used to evaluate the genetic population structure of these species and other fish from the Cyprinidae family.     

Development and characterization of EST‐SSR markers for the genus Rhododendron section Brachycalyx (Ericaceae)

Simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were developed from expressed sequence tags (ESTs) for Rhododendron section Brachycalyx in order to elucidate its evolutionary processes and reproductive ecology. Nineteen polymorphic EST‐SSR markers were developed from EST libraries of R. amagianum and R. hyugaense. Polymorphisms for these markers were assessed using four species of section Brachycalyx. The number of alleles ranged from 1 to 14, and the observed and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.000 to 0.931 and 0.000 to 0.904, respectively. The EST‐SSR markers developed in this study will be useful for elucidating population genetic structure and breeding systems in section Brachycalyx.     

Isolation and characterization of polymorphic microsatellite loci from the pink bollworm Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae)

Thirteen polymorphic microsatellite markers were developed from an enriched partial genomic library for the pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders), one of the most important cotton pests in the world. The total number of alleles ranged from two to 12 for a sample of 50 individuals and the expected heterozygosity at these loci ranged from 0.042 to 0.830. Although the presence of null alleles in some loci is suspected, these polymorphic markers are likely to provide useful tools for the population genetic studies of this species.     

Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci in the highland papaya Vasconcellea × heilbornii V. Badillo (Caricaceae)

Nine polymorphic microsatellite loci were identified in the tropical plant Vasconcellea ×heilbornii and used to estimate allelic diversity in two populations of southern Ecuador. Allelic richness ranged from two to five alleles, observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.150 to 0.947 and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.186 to 0.701. Most of these markers also amplified microsatellite loci in two other Vasconcellea species (Vasconcellea stipulata and Vasconcellea cundinamarcensis). Hence, these markers will be useful for population genetic analysis and the evaluation of genetic diversity and gene flow in these species.