Direct sequencing of genomic DNA for characterization of a satellite DNA in five species of eastern Pacific abalone.

A tandemly repeated satellite DNA of 290-291 base pairs (bp) was identified by SalI digestion of genomic DNA of five species of Eastern Pacific (California) abalone (genus, Haliotis). Following cloning and sequencing of one repeat unit from one species, the consensus sequences of this satellite were determined for five species by directly sequencing genomic DNA using satellite-specific primers. Phylogenetic trees of the consensus satellite sequences had the same topology as trees constructed for two abalone sperm acrosomal proteins. In 12 randomly picked clones of the Red abalone (H. rufescens) SalI satellite, 16 positions varied, the variation being spread throughout the sequence. GenBank database searches found no significant similarities between this satellite and known sequences. Southern analysis showed that all 290-bp SalI repeats were excised from genomic DNA by Sau3A1 digestion. The tandem arrangement of satellite repeats was confirmed by sequencing through the SalI site into the next repeat using genomic DNA as template, time-dependent appearance of DNA ladders with an approximate 300-bp spacing in SalI digests of genomic DNA, and ladders of bands with an approximate 300-bp spacing generated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using genomic DNA as template. In the Red abalone, the 290-bp SalI satellite represents approximately 0.5% of total DNA, equivalent to approximately 28,000 copies per haploid genome. The species-specific consensus sequence of this satellite, obtained directly using genomic DNA as the sequencing template, provides a molecular marker that could be used for identification of hybrid parentage, taxonomy, population identification, and forensic studies.