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The red alga Porphyra umbilicalis Kützing has a broad distribution within the North Atlantic. In the Northeast Atlantic, P. umbilicalis is dioecious and reproduces both sexually and asexually, while in the Northwest Atlantic, only asexual reproduction has been observed. In this study, transcriptomes were mined to identify putative single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) markers. A computational pipeline was developed that accounts for the specific characteristics of transcriptome dataset, filtered against the available red alga Chondrus genome and P. umbilicalis EST library to eliminate microbial contamination. Five hundred forty-nine putative SNPs were detected within a single population (Schoodic Point, ME, USA). Five of the validated SNP markers were applied in a pilot study of genetic diversity and population structure of seven P. umbilicalis populations within the Gulf of Maine. Results of this study revealed the genetic diversity and structure of P. umbilicalis populations in the Gulf of Maine. Novel genotypes were found in the open coastal populations at Reid State Park, Schoodic Point, and the estuarine tidal rapid population at Wiscasset. Our study represents the first attempt to develop suitable bioinformatic pipeline for RNA-seq to detect SNP markers for red alga Porphyra umbilicalis and successfully used these SNP markers for population study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fenneropenaeus penicillatus (redtail shrimp) is an important marine commercial animal in China. Recently, its resources have been depleted rapidly as a result of, for example, over-exploitation and environmental degradation of spawning grounds. Therefore, we analyzed the genetic diversity and differentiation of nine wild populations of F. penicillatus of China (Ningde, Lianjiang, Putian, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangpu, Dongshan, Nanao, and Shenzhen populations) by amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) technology, to provide genetic information necessary for resource protection, rejuvenation, artificial breeding, and sustainable use of the resource. Eight AFLP primer pairs were used for amplification, and 508 bands were detected among the populations. The results show that the percentage of polymorphic loci ( P) ranged from 41.34% to 63.58%; the Nei's gene diversity ( H) of the populations was 0.119 4-0.230 5; and Shannon's Information Index ( I) was 0.184 1-0.342 5. These genetic data indicate that the genetic diversity of F. penicillatus was high. The genetic differentiation coefficient ( G=0.216 2) and gene flow ( N=1.812 4) show that there was a high level of genetic differentiation and a moderate level of gene flow among populations. More studies on the genetic differentiation mechanism of F. penicillatus along the south-eastern coast of China need to be conducted to find more effective scientific protection strategies for the conservation of F. penicillatus genetic resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The marbled rockfish, Sebastiscus marmoratus, is an important commercially near-shore fish inhabiting littoral rocky bottoms from Japan to the East China Sea. Eleven polymorphic microsatellite loci were isolated from S. marmoratus and the polymorphism of these loci was observed in 32 samples from one wild population. The number of alleles ranged from 2 to 8. The polymorphism information content ranged from 0.155 to 0.752. The levels of the observed and expected heterozygosity were 0.186-0.969 and 0.170-0.782, respectively. Only one locus (Sm3-63) deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. These microsatellite markers can provide a useful tool for further study on genetic diversity and conservation of S. marmoratus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ten polymorphic microsatellite loci in Fenneropenaeus penicillatus were isolated and characterized. Microsatellite polymorphism was tested by using 30 individuals from one wild population. The results showed that the number of alleles per locus and the polymorphism Information Content ranging from 3 to 7 and from 0.1813 to 0.6087, respectively. The observed and expected heterozygosity were 0.1379-0.2727 and 0.1308-0.5597, respectively. The loci identified in this study could provide a useful tool for ongoing population genetic structure analysis of F. penicillatus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acrossocheilus labiatus Regan occurs in the clear mountain streams in the east of Asia. Eighteen microsatellite loci were isolated from A. labiatus and fifteen loci were polymorphic observed in 30 samples tested. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 2 to 10. The polymorphism information content varied from 0.090 to 0.825. The observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.069 to 0.900 and from 0.067 to 0.844, respectively. Although significant deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were detected for three loci (HC-G11-1, HC-C3-3 and HC-G8-1, P < 0.01), no significant deviations were detected for other twelve loci ( P > 0.05). These microsatellite loci will be useful for the further study of population genetic analysis and subsequently provide important genetic data for the conservation and recovery of the A. labiatus resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Branchiostoma belcheri Gray is an endangered species. A set of twelve novel polymorphic microsatellite loci was developed in B. belcheri Gray. The polymorphism of these loci was tested on a population of thirty individuals from Xiamen, China. The number of alleles ranged from 3 to 7. The polymorphism information content ranged from 0.309 to 0.778. The levels of expected and observed heterozygosities varied from 0.2449 to 0.7825, and from 0.1786 to 0.8571, respectively. Three loci (WCY4-22, WCY4-39, WCY5-17) deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. These microsatellite loci would contribute to population genetic studies and conservation of B. belcheri Gray. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]