POLYMORPHIC MICROSATELLITE DNA AMPLIFICATION CUSTOMIZED FOR CHIMPANZEE PATERNITY TESTING

DNA segments containing GT/AC dinucleotide repeats in the chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) genome were screened. Thirteen transformed E. coli colonies were identified with the (GT)10 probe to have chimpanzee DNA fragments containing (GT)n repeats. These potentially polymorphic (variable n) DNA segments were sequenced. Primers for the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplifying these DNA segments were designed. Six pairs of primers yielded polymorphic PCR products. Three of them revealed considerable length polymorphisms and heterozygosities in a group of captive chimpanzees. For studies on chimpanzees in the wild and in captivity, these primers should be useful for paternity testing, for investigating genetic variations, and for improving the genetic maintenance of breeding colonies. The strategy adopted in the present study to obtain PCR primers amplifying polymorphic microsatellite DNA segments may well be applicable to almost all eukaryotic organisms.