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The loci arginine vasopressin receptor 1a ( avpr1a ) and oxytocin receptor ( oxtr ) have evolutionarily conserved roles in vertebrate social and sexual behaviour. Allelic variation at a microsatellite locus in the 5' regulatory region of these genes is associated with fitness in the bank vole Myodes glareolus Given the low frequency of long and short alleles at these microsatellite loci in wild bank voles, we used breeding trials to determine whether selection acts against long and short alleles. Female bank voles with intermediate length avpr1a alleles had the highest probability of breeding, while male voles whose avpr1a alleles were very different in length had reduced probability of breeding. Moreover, there was a significant interaction between male and female oxtr genotypes, where potential breeding pairs with dissimilar length alleles had reduced probability of breeding. These data show how genetic variation at microsatellite loci associated with avpr1a and oxtr is associated with fitness, and highlight complex patterns of selection at these loci. More widely, these data show how stabilizing selection might act on allele length frequency distributions at gene-associated microsatellite loci., (© 2017 The Authors.)

Most variation in behavior has a genetic basis, but the processes determining the level of diversity at behavioral loci are largely unknown for natural populations. Expression of arginine vasopressin receptor 1a ( Avpr1a ) and oxytocin receptor ( Oxtr ) in specific regions of the brain regulates diverse social and reproductive behaviors in mammals, including humans. That these genes have important fitness consequences and that natural populations contain extensive diversity at these loci implies the action of balancing selection. In Myodes glareolus , Avpr1a and Oxtr each contain a polymorphic microsatellite locus located in their 5' regulatory region (the regulatory region-associated microsatellite, RRAM) that likely regulates gene expression. To test the hypothesis that balancing selection maintains diversity at behavioral loci, we released artificially bred females and males with different RRAM allele lengths into field enclosures that differed in population density. The length of Avpr1a and Oxtr RRAMs was associated with reproductive success, but population density and the sex interacted to determine the optimal genotype. In general, longer Avpr1a RRAMs were more beneficial for males, and shorter RRAMs were more beneficial for females; the opposite was true for Oxtr RRAMs. Moreover, Avpr1a RRAM allele length is correlated with the reproductive success of the sexes during different phases of reproduction; for males, RRAM length correlated with the numbers of newborn offspring, but for females selection was evident on the number of weaned offspring. This report of density-dependence and sexual antagonism acting on loci within the arginine vasopressin-oxytocin pathway explains how genetic diversity at Avpr1a and Oxtr could be maintained in natural populations.

Multiplex PCR assays for the coamplification of microsatellite loci allow rapid and cost-effective genetic analyses and the production of efficient screening protocols for international breeding programs. We constructed a partial genomic library enriched for di-nucleotide repeats and characterized 14 new microsatellite loci for the Komodo monitor (or Komodo dragon, Varanus komodoensis). Using these novel microsatellites and four previously described loci, we developed multiplex PCR assays that may be loaded on a genetic analyser in three separate panels. We tested the novel set of microsatellites for polymorphism using 69 individuals from three island populations and evaluated the resolving power of the entire panel of 18 loci by conducting (i) a preliminary assignment test to determine population(s) of origin and (ii) a parentage analysis for 43 captive Komodo monitors. This panel of polymorphic loci proved useful for both purposes and thus can be exploited for fine-scale population genetic analyses and as part of international captive breeding programs directed at maintaining genetically viable ex situ populations and reintroductions., (© 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.)

Free-living marine protists are often assumed to be broadly distributed and genetically homogeneous on large spatial scales. However, an increasing application of highly polymorphic genetic markers (e.g., microsatellites) has provided evidence for high genetic diversity and population structuring on small spatial scales in many free-living protists. Here we characterise a panel of new microsatellite markers for the common marine flagellate Oxyrrhis marina. Nine microsatellite loci were used to assess genotypic diversity at two spatial scales by genotyping 200 isolates of O. marina from 6 broad geographic regions around Great Britain and Ireland; in one region, a single 2 km shore line was sampled intensively to assess fine-scale genetic diversity. Microsatellite loci resolved between 1-6 and 7-23 distinct alleles per region in the least and most variable loci respectively, with corresponding variation in expected heterozygosities (H(e)) of 0.00-0.30 and 0.81-0.93. Across the dataset, genotypic diversity was high with 183 genotypes detected from 200 isolates. Bayesian analysis of population structure supported two model populations. One population was distributed across all sampled regions; the other was confined to the intensively sampled shore, and thus two distinct populations co-occurred at this site. Whilst model-based analysis inferred a single UK-wide population, pairwise regional F(ST) values indicated weak to moderate population sub-division (0.01-0.12), but no clear correlation between spatial and genetic distance was evident. Data presented in this study highlight extensive genetic diversity for O. marina; however, it remains a substantial challenge to uncover the mechanisms that drive genetic diversity in free-living microorganisms.

Rhodnius prolixus is the main vector of Chagas disease in Venezuela, where it is found colonising rural housing consisting of unplastered adobe walls with palm and/or metal roofs. Vector control failure in Venezuela may be due to the invasion of houses by silvatic populations of R. prolixus found in palms. As part of a study to determine if domestic and silvatic populations of R. prolixus are isolated, thus clarifying the role of silvatic populations in maintaining house infestations, we constructed three partial genomic microsatellite libraries. A panel of ten dinucleotide polymorphic microsatellite markers was selected for genotyping. Allele numbers per locus ranged from three to twelve, with observed and expected heterozygosity ranging from 0.26 to 0.55 and 0.32 to 0.66. The microsatellite markers presented here will contribute to the control of Chagas disease in Venezuela and Colombia through the provision of population information that may allow the design of improved control strategies.