Construction and characterization of microsatellite markers for the Neptune whelk, Neptunea cumingii.

BACKGROUND

The Neptune whelk, Neptunea cumingii, is an economic gastropod endemic to the East Asia Warm Temperate Biotic Subregion. The study of the development in microsatellite markers maybe beneficial for assessing the genetic diversity and conservation of resources on this dwindling species.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The microsatellite markers were constructed and characterized through Illumina high-throughput sequencing and capillary electrophoresis techniques. Eleven polymorphic microsatellite loci were screened and validated. The observed heterozygosity and expected heterozygosity of each locus showed a range from 0.0600 to 0.6508 and from 0.7380 to 0.9375, respectively. The average Shannon's information index and polymorphism information content were 2.0828 and 0.8325, respectively. Deviation from all loci was generated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.

CONCLUSIONS

The 11 microsatellite markers developed in this study show polymorphic status. These markers are expected to be highly informative for further analysis of genetic diversity in N. cumingii.