Cross-species amplification of 41 microsatellites in European cyprinids: A tool for evolutionary, population genetics and hybridization studies

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cyprinids display the most abundant and widespread species among the European freshwater Teleostei and are known to hybridize quite commonly. Nevertheless, a limited number of markers for conducting comparative differentiation, evolutionary and hybridization dynamics studies are available to date.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>Five multiplex PCR sets were optimized in order to assay 41 cyprinid-specific polymorphic microsatellite loci (including 10 novel loci isolated from <it>Chondrostoma nasus nasus, Chondrostoma toxostoma toxostoma </it>and <it>Leuciscus leuciscus</it>) for 503 individuals (440 purebred specimens and 63 hybrids) from 15 European cyprinid species. The level of genetic diversity was assessed in <it>Alburnus alburnus, Alburnoides bipunctatus, C. genei, C. n. nasus, C. soetta, C. t. toxostoma, L. idus, L. leuciscus, Pachychilon pictum, Rutilus rutilus, Squalius cephalus </it>and <it>Telestes souffia</it>. The applicability of the markers was also tested on <it>Abramis brama, Blicca bjoerkna </it>and <it>Scardinius erythrophtalmus </it>specimens. Overall, between 24 and 37 of these markers revealed polymorphic for the investigated species and 23 markers amplified for all the 15 European cyprinid species.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The developed set of markers demonstrated its performance in discriminating European cyprinid species. Furthermore, it allowed detecting and characterizing hybrid individuals. These microsatellites will therefore be useful to perform comparative evolutionary and population genetics studies dealing with European cyprinids, what is of particular interest in conservation issues and constitutes a tool of choice to conduct hybridization studies.</p

Características de carcaça de cordeiros Hampshire Down e Santa Inês sob diferentes fotoperíodos Carcass characteristics of Hampshire Down and Santa Inês ram lambs under different photoperiods

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito do fotoperíodo e da raça nas características de carcaça de cordeiros machos Hampshire Down e Santa Inês. Sete cordeiros Hampshire Down e sete Santa Inês foram submetidos a fotoperíodo de 12 horas luz x 12 horas escuro (curto) e de 18 horas luz x 6 horas escuro (longo). Após o desmame, os cordeiros foram alojados em baias individuais de acordo com os tratamentos. Ao atingirem 31 kg de peso vivo, foram abatidos e a carcaça e os componentes não-constituintes da carcaça foram pesados. Cordeiros Santa Inês apresentaram peso de carcaça quente superior ao dos Hampshire e maior rendimento comercial. Cordeiros Santa Inês apresentaram maior peso de sangue, coração, pulmão, rins e baço. Já os cordeiros Hampshire Down apresentaram pesos de pele, patas e aparelho gastrintestinal cheio superiores aos do Santa Inês. Os cordeiros Santa Inês apresentaram maior largura de garupa e comprimento de perna do que os Hampshire Down. Os cordeiros Santa Inês apresentaram porcentagem de costela descoberta e baixos maior do que os Hampshire Down, com maior porcentagem de perna. A raça influencia mais as características de carcaça do que o fotoperíodo.<br>The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of photoperiod and breed on carcass characteristics. Seven Hampshire Down and seven Santa Inês ram lambs were assigned to two photoperiods: 12 hours light x 12 hours dark, or short photoperiod, and to 18 hours of light x 6 hours of dark, or long photoperiod. After weaning, the lambs were housed in individual stalls. The lambs were weighed weekly until slaughter weight of 31 kg. After slaughter, the carcass and the non-carcass components were weighed. Santa Inês lambs had higher hot carcass weight than Hampshire Down and also a higher commercial dressing percentage. Santa Inês lambs had higher blood, heart, lung, kidneys and spleen weight. The Hampshire Down lambs had higher skin, feet, full stomach and full intestine weight. Santa Inês lambs had higher width hindquarters and leg length than the Hampshire Down. Santa Inês lambs had higher percentage of discovered rib and low and the Hampshire Down lambs, higher percentage of leg. Breed influences more the carcass characteristics than photoperiod

Department of Animal Sciences research and reviews: poultry and swine

Skeletal muscle collagen organization may be associated with proteoglycan expression / Sandra G. Velleman -- Influence of adult body weight and egg weight on hatching time in selected and random bred control lines of turkeys / K. E. Nestor and D. O. Noble -- Effect of crossing a line selected for increased shank width with two commercial sire lines on performance and walking ability of turkeys / Karl E. Nestor and John W. Anderson -- The energy used for maintenance each day by broiler chickens / David Latshaw and Matthew Toussant -- Variation at microsatellite loci in the large white, Yorkshire, and Hampshire breeds of swine / S. L. Kacirek, K. M. Irvin, P. I. Dimsoski, M. E. Davis, and H. C. Hines -- The estimation of maternal and individual heterosis in Yorkshire, large white, and Hampshire swine and their crosses / M. J. Barhorst, K. M. Irvin, S. J. Moeller, and S. M. Neal -- Investigation of the estrogen receptor gene and its association with reproductive tract traits in swine / B. Isler, K. M. Irvin, and S. M. Neal -- Effects of exogenous testosterone on follicular responsiveness to gonadotrophins during the luteal phase of the estrous cycle in gilts / M. B. Cunningham and W. F. Pope -- Evaluation of the further-processing quality of ham muscles from Hampshire hogs / C. L. Knipe, D. L. Meeker, B. D. Paxton, S. J. Moeller, K. M. Irvin, D. M. Wulf, and R. C. Emnett -- Frequency and effects of the napole gene in the U.S. pork industry / D. L. Meeker, S. J. Moeller, K. M. Irvin, D. M. Wulf, C. L. Knipe, and R. C. Emnet