PCR-RFLP ANALYSIS REVEALS SUBSTANTIAL POPULATION-LEVEL VARIATION IN THE INTRONS OF PACIFIC SALMON (ONCORHYNCHUS SPP.)

Conservation issues associated with the preservation of wild salmonids have increased the urgency of obtaining a better understanding of the demographics and population genetics of threatened populations. To au gment existing allozyme data and facilitate nonlethal sampling, many r esearch groups have developed DNA markers for use in salmonid populati on genetics research. We have designed polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers for eight intron loci. Restriction enzyme analysis of selecte d PCR products (PCR-RFLP) from chinook salmon and steelhead revealed s ignificant allele frequency differences among closely related populati ons from the Snake River Basin in northwestern North America. The prim er pairs described here are capable of amplifying putatively orthologo us target sequences in distantly related salmonid genera (e.g., Hucho, Salvelinus, and Salmo), and we expect them to be useful in a wide ran ge of applications from population genetics to systematics.