A DNA repeat element, revealed initially by digestion of horse DNA with TaqI, was cloned and characterized by Southern and in situ hybridization studies and nucleotide sequencing. The clone, e4/1, consisted of 32 tandem reiterations of a unit repeat of 21–22 bp, and produced multilocus DNA fingerprinting profiles that were useful for parentage analysis in horses. The tandem repeat element was shown by in situ hybridization to be localized in the centromeres of the acrocentric but not metacentric classes of horse chromosomes.Key words: Equidae, Equus caballus, DNA repeat, DNA fingerprinting, centromere.
Oligonucleotide probes (GATA)4 and (GGAT)4 for minisatellite loci produced DNA fingerprinting patterns which are unique in individual rainbow trout. These patterns can be used to monitor the efficiency of manipulation of production characters in gynogenetic individuals. The (GATA)4 probe produced highly individual patterns that differentiated individuals among gynogenetic offspring, and could be easily scored.
Abstract
We observed courtship and copulatory behavior in two populations of Phainopeplas (Phainopepla nitens) with contrasting social systems and used multilocus DNA fingerprinting to assess rates of extrapair fertilization (EPF). Phainopeplas from both territorial and loosely colonial populations copulated infrequently (≤2 times per day). No extrapair copulations (EPCs) were observed in either population. We found no evidence of EPFs in 48 nestlings from 25 nests. Thus, Phainopeplas appear to be both socially and genetically monogamous. However, Phainopeplas are not monogamous over their lifetimes—they do not retain mates from year to year and appear to switch mates between breeding localities within the same year. Compressed breeding seasons, geographically shifting food resources, and widespread breeding failures may favor monogamy during any given breeding attempt while allowing opportunities to switch mates between breeding localities and years.
Multilocus DNA fingerprinting reveals high rate of heritable genetic mutation in herring gulls nesting in an industrialized urban site.
