Microsatellites variation in sterlet sturgeon, Acipenser ruthenus from the Lower Danube

• Main Author: Andreea Dudu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Agroprint Timisoara 2013-05-01
• Series: Scientific Papers Animal Science and Biotechnologies
• Subjects: sterlet; microsatellites; genetic diversity
• Online Access: http://spasb.ro/index.php/spasb/article/view/45
• ISSN: 1841-9364; 2344-4576

Sturgeons represent an ancient group of fish with an important scientific and commercial value. The economical significance of these species is due to their meat and roes that are considered to be a gastronomic delicacy. Unfortunately, precisely due to their economical value the sturgeons have been overexploited by fishing and poaching and nowadays are facing extinction. Currently, in the Ponto-Caspian region is found the greatest diversity of acipenserid species and the Lower Danube is the last refuge for the sturgeons from the Black Sea. Acipenser ruthenus (sterlet) is a fresh water sturgeon species which has undergone a large population decline, but local populations are still surviving in most parts of the rivers draining to Black, Azov and Caspian Seas. In order to have successful conservation programs of this species is essential to evaluate its genetic diversity. Microsatellites represent valuable markers for genetic analyses aiming the assessment of genetic variability of population. In our study we analyzed the cross-amplification and the polymorphism in A. ruthenus population from the Lower Danube of seven microsatellite loci (LS-19, LS-34, LS-54, LS-57, LS-68, Aox23 and Aox45), originally isolated in North-American sturgeon species. Among the seven loci, three (LS57, Aox23 and Aox45) have showed a tetrasomic profile. The most polymorphic loci were LS-57 with 12 alleles in population, followed by Aox23 and Aox45 with 11 alleles and LS-68 with 10 alleles. Four loci (LS-19, LS-34 and LS-54) presented a lower level of polymorphism, only three alleles being identified for the analyzed individuals.