Genetic characterization and bottleneck analysis of Maghateer camel population in Saudi Arabia using microsatellite markers

Abstract

In this study, twenty microsatellite markers were applied to study the genetic polymorphism in Maghateer Camels in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. About 50 unrelated Maghateer camels were selected and hair roots were subjected for the extraction of total genomic DNA. The selected microsatellite forward-, and revised-primers amplified 19 SSR markers from the Camels. In the experimental condition, CMS25 and VOLP67 markers did not yield any genomic amplification from the DNA of Camels. A total of nineteen microsatellite loci have been determined as polymorphic nature. In this experiment 155 alleles were obtained by the loci of 19 microsatellites, range of 4 to 16 alleles per locus and the mean of 8.158 alleles per locus. The observed heterozygosity (Ho) range varied from 0.280 to 1.000 and the mean value was determined as 0.717. The mean expected heterozygosity (He) was found to be 0.667 and the range varied between 0.282 and 0.871. In Maghateer population, the effective number (mean) was found to be 3.599. A total of 12 loci were determined in this study. In the selected Camel population no bottleneck in nearest past or no potent heterozygote excess was obtained based on standardized differences, sign and tests such as Wilcoxon tests and L shaped distribution of mode-shift test. The present findings showed the utility of these 19 microsatellite loci for analyzing genetic polymorphism in Camelus dromedarius (dromedary camel).