Isolation of twenty low stutter di- and tetranucleotide microsatellites for population analyses of walleye pollock and other gadoids

Fourteen tetra- and six dinucleotide microsatellites. which exhibit minimal stuttering following amplification via PCR were developed from walleye pol lock Theragra chalcogramma. Most of these loci were isolated from a library enriched for tetranucleotide microsatellites by hybridization of genomic D NA to (gata)(7) oligonucleotides bound to streptavidin-coated paramagnetic beads. The average heterozygosity of these loci is similar to 80%, and rang es from 53-95%. Mendelian inheritance was confirmed in five families, each consisting of a minimum of 10 or more offspring. Primer sets for all 20 loc i were also evaluated in Arctic cod Boreogadus saida, Pacific cod Gadus mac rocephalus. Pacific tomcod Microgadus proximus, saffron cod Eleginus gracil is, Pacific hake Merluccius productus. Atlantic cod Gadus morhua. haddock M elanogrammus aelefinus, blue whiting, Merluccius productus poutassou, and E uropean hake Merluccius merluccius. In each of these species, 3-19 primer s ets amplified variable microsatellite loci. These loci, which exhibit littl e stutter and moderate to high variability, should be useful population mar kers in pollock and other gadoid fishes. (C) 2000 The Fisheries Society or the British Isles.