Application of the microsatellite technique for analyzing genetic diversity in shrimp breeding programs

The microsatellite technique was employed to demonstrate the use of genetic markers as a genetic analysis tool to manage breeding programs of cultured species. This technique was used on a total of 312 P. vannamei shrimp from Population 1 (Sinaloa, Mexico), Population 2 (Ecuador), Population 3 (hybrid of Population 1 x Population 2), Population 4 (Oaxaca, Mexico), a Guatemalan stock, and wild female broodstock from Salinas, Ecuador. Microsatellite 1, M1, was used to determine the allelic inheritance within 14 families from two populations and two groups from the Guatemalan stock. All of the offspring were shown to be genetic descendants of their presumed parents. All families showed Mendelian inheritance. A total of 47 different alleles were found at the M1 locus. The number of different alleles for each population ranged from four in Population 2 to 23 alleles in Population 4. Observed heterozygosities ranged from 45% to 100%. There were 23 population-specific markers, two of which were observed only in single families from Population 1. Microsatellite markers are useful for informing animal breeders of genetic diversity levels in populations of interest before implementing a breeding program. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.