BOVINE MICROSATELLITE LOCI ARE HIGHLY CONSERVED IN RED DEER (CERVUS-ELAPHUS), SIKA-DEER (CERVUS-NIPPON) AND SOAY SHEEP (OVIS-ARIES)

We tested 174 bovine microsatellite primer pairs for use in a primitiv e breed of sheep and two species of deer. Of 173 markers, 127 (73.4%) gave a product in Soay sheep (Ovis aries) of which 54 (42.5%) were pol ymorphic. One hundred and twenty-nine of 174 (74.1%) markers gave a pr oduct in red deer (Cervus elaphus) of which 72 (55.8%) were polymorphi c. In sika deer (Cervus nippon) 126 of 171 (73.7%) microsatellite prim ers gave a product with 47 (37.3%) polymorphic. The proportion of bovi ne microsatellite loci conserved across artiodactyl species was signif icantly greater in this study than previously reported. Reasons for th is high degree of microsatellite conservation are discussed. We sugges t that a high resolution comparative map of the artiodactyls can be co nstructed using microsatellites.