Selkoe Kimberly A, Toonen Robert J
Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA.
Ecol Lett. 2006 May;9(5):615-29. doi: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2006.00889.x.
Recent improvements in genetic analysis and genotyping methods have resulted in a rapid expansion of the power of molecular markers to address ecological questions. Microsatellites have emerged as the most popular and versatile marker type for ecological applications. The rise of commercial services that can isolate microsatellites for new study species and genotype samples at reasonable prices presents ecologists with the unprecedented ability to employ genetic approaches without heavy investment in specialized equipment. Nevertheless, the lack of accessible, synthesized information on the practicalities and pitfalls of using genetic tools impedes ecologists' ability to make informed decisions on using molecular approaches and creates the risk that some will use microsatellites without understanding the steps needed to evaluate the quality of a genetic data set. The first goal of this synthesis is to provide an overview of the strengths and limitations of microsatellite markers and the risks, cost and time requirements of isolating and using microsatellites with the aid of commercial services. The second goal is to encourage the use and consistent reporting of thorough marker screening to ensure high quality data. To that end, we present a multistep screening process to evaluate candidate loci for inclusion in a genetic study that is broadly targeted to both novice and experienced geneticists alike.
近期，遗传分析和基因分型方法的改进使得分子标记在解决生态学问题方面的能力迅速提升。微卫星已成为生态应用中最受欢迎且用途广泛的标记类型。能够以合理价格为新的研究物种分离微卫星并对样本进行基因分型的商业服务的兴起，为生态学家提供了前所未有的能力，使其无需在专业设备上大量投资就能采用遗传方法。然而，缺乏关于使用遗传工具的实用性和陷阱的可获取、综合的信息，阻碍了生态学家就使用分子方法做出明智决策的能力，并带来了一些风险，即有些人在不了解评估遗传数据集质量所需步骤的情况下使用微卫星。本综述的首要目标是概述微卫星标记的优势与局限性，以及借助商业服务分离和使用微卫星的风险、成本和时间要求。第二个目标是鼓励使用并一致报告全面的标记筛选，以确保高质量数据。为此，我们提出了一个多步骤筛选过程，用于评估纳入遗传研究的候选基因座，该过程广泛适用于新手和有经验的遗传学家。
