Amplification primers that target locus-specific introns in actinopterygian fishes

The study of interspecific and intraspecific phylogeny has benefited from t he development "universal" amplification primers that target specific regio ns of the mitochondrial genome. Unfortunately, analogous primer sets for nu clear-encoded regions have not always proven reliable in targeting single l oci across a wide variety of organisms. We describe a strategy for developi ng sets of oligonucleotide primers that flank conserved intron positions wi thin single loci. We demonstrate this approach through development of two s ets of amplification primers that target polymorphic, single-locus intron r egions from a large number of actinopterygian fishes.