Unstable Linkage of Molecular Markers with Sex Determination Gene in Pacific Salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.).

In the present study, we tested the congruence between the sdY sex-specific marker and other commonly used male markers, located on the Y-chromosome, with the sex phenotypes in 5 species of Pacific salmon in Asian waters, including Chinook, chum, sockeye, masu, and pink salmon. We found that the localization of the sex-specific marker of both males and females of these species is not consistent with the phenotypic sex. Also, no linkage was found between noncoding markers and the sdY gene in the same species samples. Possible genetic and physiological mechanisms underlying this discrepancy are discussed.

High male incidence and evolutionary implications of triploid form in northeast Asia Carassius auratus complex.

Carassius auratus complex is believed to originate from East Eurasia and consist of diploid and triploid forms. Diploid form reproduces sexually, whereas triploid form possesses mixture modes of unisexual gynogenesis and sexual reproduction, which makes it a unique case to study evolutionary issues among vertebrates. In this study, we identified 337 triploid individuals from 386 specimens of Carassius auratus complex sampled from 4 different sites of Xingkai Lake and Suifen River on the northeast Asia transboundary areas of Russia and China, and found that triploids were ubiquitous, whereas diploids existed only in SII site of Suifen River. Triploid males were detected in all surveyed sites, and an unusually high triploid male incidence (23%) was found in the Chinese reach of Suifen River. Then, nuclear and cytoplasmic markers were used to analyze their genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationship. A total of 61 distinct tf alleles and 35 mtDNA CR haplotypes were revealed. Higher genetic diversity and divergence were confirmed in triploids than in diploids, and identical genetic background between triploid males and females was demonstrated. Moreover, evolutionary implications and roles of triploid males were suggested in population proliferation and diversity creation of the triploid form.

Population genetic structure and phylogeography of masu salmon (Oncorhynchus masou masou) inferred from mitochondrial and microsatellite DNA analyses.

The population genetic structure and phylogeography of masu salmon were investigated by using variation in the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 5 gene (ND5) and six polymorphic microsatellite loci among a total of 895 fish representing 18 populations collected from Japan (9), Russia (7), and Korea (2) from 2000 to 2008. An analysis of ND5 nucleotide sequences revealed 22 variable sites in about 560 bp in the 5' half of the gene, which defined 20 haplotypes, including some associated with geographical regions. Haplotype and nucleotide diversities were greater in the populations in Japan and Korea than in those in Russia, indicating greater genetic diversity in the Japanese and Korean populations than in the Russian populations. All the microsatellite loci examined showed a high level of variation, but the expected heterozygosity indicated a similar level of genetic diversity among the populations of the three regions, contrary to the results for ND5. However, AMOVA and pairwise population F (ST) estimates for both ND5 and the microsatellite markers indicated a similar pattern of moderate genetic differentiation among populations of the three regions, and large population groups on the coasts of the Sea of Japan, Sea of Okhotsk, and Pacific Ocean in the Far East. From a mismatch distribution analysis and neutrality test, the observed genetic structure appears to have been influenced primarily by bottlenecks during glacial periods and population expansions during interglacial periods in the late Pleistocene.

Development of microsatellite markers for Japanese scallop (Mizuhopecten yessoensis) and their application to a population genetic study.

The Japanese scallop (Mizuhopecten yessoensis) is one of the main fishery products in Japan, but with the expansion of culture operations of the Japanese scallop, various problems have been encountered including high mortality, poor growth, poor seed production, and so on. Moreover, there is concern that many years of cultivation may have affected the genetic structure of the scallop population. To approach these problems and concerns, we developed microsatellite markers as a molecular tool for population genetic studies. By using 4 microsatellite markers as well as a mitochondrial marker, we investigated the genetic structure of samples from the islands of Hokkaido (14 populations) and Honshu (Tohoku, 3 populations) in Japan, and south Primorye (4 populations) in Russia. All the populations sampled had high genetic diversity (average expected heterozygosity, 0.7011 to 0.7622; haplotype diversity, 0.6090 to 0.8848), and almost all showed a tendency of homozygote excess, which was significant in 2 populations. Hierarchical analysis of molecular variance tests based on the microsatellite and mitochondrial markers indicated that the 3 geographic regions were genetically divergent from one another, with little evidence of divergence within regions. Homogeneity in allele frequency distributions between natural and cultured scallops and allele frequency stability over a period of 2 decades indicated that the culturing operations have probably not had a substantial effect on the genetic structure of the populations.