Evaluation of microsatellite primer conservation in abalone

摘要

This study investigated the interspecific amplification of 22 microsatellite loci developed for Haliotis rubra across 12 other species within the Haliotidae. We reveal, through the discussion of three specific cases, a need for more thorough assaysof microsatellite locus conservation, to ensure the utility of existing markers in foreign species. Optimization and analysis of PCR products revealed that of 12 loci examined in the Australian H. laevigata, only five were able to be reliably scored, while 6 of 10 for the South African H. midae were scoreable and none of the three for the North American species were useable. The assay examines five species from Australia, three from New Zealand, two from South Africa and two from North America. Amplification success varied from 68 percent for H. conicopora, a possible sub-species, to 14 percent for the distantly separated and related species from North America. The importance of cross-species amplification is discussed, but it is apparent that the proportion of markers that may be useful in other species of the same genera will vary greatly with the taxa being investigated.