Development and characterisation of 26 polymorphic microsatellite markers in striped catfish Pangasianodon hypophthalmus

Abstract

AbstractBackground: The striped catfish,Pangasionodon hypophthalmus, is one of the most important cultured fish species worldwide. Although genetic management and improvement based on molecular approaches have a high potential, few applications are available due to the lack of genomic resources.Methods and results: We used a draft genome of striped catfish to develop 26 polymorphic DNA microsatellite markers. Markers were validated on 62 individuals from three wild populations. The 26 loci were highly polymorphic, with 7 to 21 alleles per locus for a total of 342 alleles. Null alleles were observed at 6 of the 26 loci. Polymorphism Information Content (PIC) values pointed to a high level of polymorphism (PIC>0.5) at all tested loci. Observed and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.532 to 0.919 and 0.584 to 0.891, respectively. The Tonlé Sap and Lower Mekong samples were similar and differed from the Kratié sample.Conclusions:The 26 microsatellite markers represent an additional and valuable source for population genetic studies, parentage assignment, the estimation of genetic parameters for broodstock management and marker assisted selection in striped catfish.