NCAM - A POLYMORPHIC MICROSATELLITE LOCUS CONSERVED ACROSS EUTHERIAN MAMMAL SPECIES

A dinucleotide microsatellite was found to be conserved at the 3' untr anslated end of the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) gene in cattl e, rat and human. The high level of sequence conservation found in thi s gene allows the use of a single set of PCR primers to amplify sequen ce spanning the repeat in many species. Sequence analysis revealed the conservation of the dinucleotide repeat in all eutherian mammal speci es studied with variation in length as well as internal structure caus ed by base substitutions. Polymorphisms were seen across five mammalia n orders, in rat, buffalo, sheep, cow, whale and dolphin, with polymor phisms predicted in pig and dugong based on the length of the uninterr upted dinucleotide repeat.