Inheritance of nuclear DNA markers in gynogenetic haploid pink salmon

We describe the inheritance of 460 PCR-based loci in the polyploid-derived pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) genome using gynogenetic haploid embry os. We detected a length polymorphism in a growth hormone gene (GH-2) intro n that is caused by an 81 bp insertion homologous to the 3' end of the salm onid short interspersed repetitive element (SINE) Smal, Such insertion poly morphisms within species bring into question the use of SINEs as phylogenet ic markers. We confirmed that a microsatellite locus encodes a PCR-null all ele that is responsible for an apparent deficit of heterozygotes in a popul ation sample from Prince William Sound. Another set of microsatellite prime rs amplified alleles of the same molecular weight from both loci of a dupli cated pair, In our analysis of several PCR-based multilocus techniques, we failed to detect evidence of comigrating fragments produced by duplicated l oci. Segregation analysis of PCR-based markers using gynogenetic haploid em bryos ensures that the interpretation of molecular variation is not complic ated by heterozygosity, diploidy, or gene duplication. We urge investigator s to test the inheritance of polymorphisms in salmonids prior to using them to measure genetic variation.