Transferability of heterologous microsatellite primers in Leiarius marmoratus

Abstract

The Amazonian Jundiá (Leiarius marmoratus) (Siluliformes: Pimelodidae) is a species of catfish with social and economic importance in some South American countries such as Brazil and Colombia. Genetic evaluation of this species is limited due to the lack of specific molecular markers, hindering studies on genetic diversity and structure in animals under captive conditions or in natural populations. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the transferability of heterologous microsatellite markers in Leiarius marmoratus. Thirty-two heterologous primers were tested in L. marmoratus. The primers that presented the best standards were applied to 20 specimens, and the number of alleles (Na), number of effective alleles (Ne), gene diversity per Locus (GdL) and percentage of amplification failure (Md) were calculated. Eleven primers demonstrated satisfactory transferability patterns, all from the fish of the Pimelodidae family, of which, seven were monomorphic and four polymorphic. The eleven markers presented low percentage of Md (mean was 5.9% samples per locus). Na varied from one to two alleles per locus, revealing low polymorphism in the evaluated samples. The mean Ne and GdL numbers were 1.77 and 0.32, respectively. The transferability of the heterologous microsatellite loci in L. marmoratus was shown to be possible. However, further tests are needed to apply these markers in population genetic studies.