Polymorphic microsatellite loci from Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar): genetic differentiation of North American and European populations

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Abstract
Atlantic salmon populations show low levels of genetic differentiation relative to other salmonid species, when surveyed by allozymes, and with mitochondrial DNA and nuclear ribosomal DNA markers. Here we report the application of three novel microsatellite VNTR loci to population differentiation in Atlantic salmon. A total of 232 microsatellites, cloned from Atlantic salmon, were classified as perfect, imperfect, and compound repeats. Microsatellite length, as in other teleosts, was significantly larger than published mammalian microsatellites. Primers for PCR amplification of three salmon microsatellites were designed. Allele frequencies, degree of polymorphism, and heterozygosity were estimated for five populations from Nova Scotia, Canada, and from Europe. Nei's genetic distances of 0.02–0.9 were observed among populations. There was a clear discrimination between Canadian and European fish based on unique alleles present at two loci. These Atlantic salmon primers also amplify presumably homologous loci in nine other salmonid species. The polymorphic microsatellites loci reported here demonstrate great potential as genetic markers in population, breeding, and evolutionary studies.