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Thousands of microsatellite loci from the venomous coralsnake M icrurus fulvius and variability of select loci across populations and related species
Author(s) -
Castoe Todd A.,
Streicher Jeffrey W.,
Meik Jesse M.,
Ingrasci Matthew J.,
Poole Alexander W.,
Koning A. P. Jason,
Campbell Jonathan A.,
Parkinson Christopher L.,
Smith Eric N.,
Pollock David D.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
molecular ecology resources
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.96
H-Index - 136
eISSN - 1755-0998
pISSN - 1755-098X
DOI - 10.1111/1755-0998.12000
Subject(s) - biology , microsatellite , genetics , shotgun sequencing , population , evolutionary biology , population genetics , genetic marker , genetic variation , dna sequencing , gene , allele , demography , sociology
Studies of population genetics increasingly use next‐generation DNA sequencing to identify microsatellite loci in nonmodel organisms. There are, however, relatively few studies that validate the feasibility of transitioning from marker development to experimental application across populations and species. North A merican coralsnakes of the M icrurus fulvius species complex occur in the United States and Mexico, and little is known about their population structure and phylogenetic relationships. This absence of information and population genetics markers is particularly concerning because they are highly venomous and have important implications on human health. To alleviate this problem in coralsnakes, we investigated the feasibility of using 454 shotgun sequences for microsatellite marker development. First, a genomic shotgun library from a single individual was sequenced (approximately 7.74 megabases; 26 831 reads) to identify potentially amplifiable microsatellite loci ( PAL s). We then hierarchically sampled 76 individuals from throughout the geographic distribution of the species complex and examined whether PAL s were amplifiable and polymorphic. Approximately half of the loci tested were readily amplifiable from all individuals, and 80% of the loci tested for variation were variable and thus informative as population genetic markers. To evaluate the repetitive landscape characteristics across multiple snakes, we also compared microsatellite content between the coralsnake and two other previously sampled snakes, the venomous copperhead ( A gkistrodon contortrix ) and B urmese python ( P ython molurus ).