New microsatellite markers specific for Caiman latirostris applicable to genetic-population and mating system studies

AMAVET, PATRICIA; EVA RUEDA; PABLO A. SIROSKI; ALEJANDRO LARRIERA

Lake Charles, Louisiana.

Congreso; 23rd Working Meeting of the Crocodile Specialist Group; 2014

Nowadays, microsatellites are considered as a molecular tool of choice for the development of population-genetic studies and mating systems. Due to difficulties encountered in the setting and application of specific molecular markers for Caiman latirostris previously developed, we looked for the mission of developing new microsatellite markers for this species. This work was carried out requesting to the Institute of Agro-biotechnology of Rosario, Argentina (INDEAR-CONICET) the service of partial sequencing of C. latirostris genome using a ROCHE 454® sequencer. From the sequences obtained, 16 microsatellite markers for C. latirostris were detected using the software FullSSR specially designed to perform together the discovery of microsatellites and design of the respective primers. The obtained results were corroborated using MISA® (Microsatellite Identification Tool) and Primer3®, both traditional programs for microsatellite discovery and design of primers respectively. Nine pairs of primers were designed for C. latirostris, 8 of them amplified successfully DNA samples of that species. All of them proved to be polymorphic and it have a size product ranging between 74 bp and 520 bp. Besides, these markers have also been used successfully to amplify samples of Caiman yacare. Employing these new markers we believe that we can expand the pool of available microsatellites specific to the Caiman genus to broaden and complete genetic-population studies and mating system analyses.