A NEW MULTILOCUS PROBE FOR DNA-FINGERPRINTING IN CHINOOK SALMON (ONCORHYNCHUS-TSHAWYTSCHA), AND COMPARISONS WITH A SINGLE-LOCUS PROBE

A multilocus DNA probe, B2-2, isolated from chinook salmon (Oncorhynch us tshawytscha) and a single-locus Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) probe , 3.15.34, were examined for discriminatory ability among seven parent s and 33-37 juveniles from five families of chinook salmon. DNA finger print patterns were observed in Hae III-digested chinook salmon DNA pr obed with B2-2. Between 8 and 20 fragments, from 2.20 kilobase pairs ( kbp) to 19.0 kbp, were detected in each individual. The level of band sharing among unrelated parents was 0.18. Probe 3.15.34 hybridized wit h a total of nine DNA fragments, from 3.35 to 6.00 kbp, in the chinook salmon parents and progeny. One or two fragments were detected in eac h individual. Pedigree analysis confirmed that 3.15.34 detected both a lleles of a single polymorphic locus whereas B2-2 detected autosomal, unlinked, predominantly heterozygous DNA fragments that were inherited in a Mendelian fashion at a minimum of 10 polymorphic loci. Among juv enile chinook salmon, levels of band sharing detected with probe B2-2 increased with increasing relatedness, and clustering based on differe nces in banding patterns distinguished unrelated progeny, half sibs, a nd full sibs even in the absence of parental genotypic data.