CHIMPANZEE MICROSATELLITE PCR PRIMERS APPLIED TO PATERNITY TESTING INA CAPTIVE COLONY

Previously designed primers for the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) am plifying microsatellite DNA segments containing GT/AC dinucleotide rep eats in the chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) genome were used for paternit y testing in a breeding colony in captivity. Combinations of three PCR primers identified the fathers of all the tested 40 chimpanzees born in an eight-year period. The results suggested: (1) a positive (though not conclusive) correlation between male rank and number of offspring ; (2) choice of mating partners by the female rather than by the male; and (3) absence of stable mating pairs over the years. For studies of chimpanzees in captivity and in the wild, these primers should be use ful for paternity testing, for investigating genetic variations, and f or improving genetic maintenance of breeding colonies.