Microsatellite-centromere mapping in Japanese scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis) through half-tetrad analysis in gynogenetic diploid families

Abstract

Gene-centromere mapping is an essential prerequisite for understanding the composition and structure of genomes. Half-tetrad analysis is a powerful tool for mapping genes and understanding chromosomal behavior during meiosis. The Japanese scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis), a cold-tolerant species inhabiting the northwestern Pacific coast, is a commercially important marine bivalve in Asian countries. In this study, inheritance of 32 informative microsatellite loci was examined in 70-h D-shaped larvae of three induced meiogynogenetic diploid families of P. yessoensis for centromere mapping using half-tetrad analysis. The ratio of gynogenetic diploids was proven to be 100%, 100% and 96% in the three families, respectively. Inheritance analysis in the control crosses showed that 51 of the 53 genotypic ratios observed were in accordance with Mendelian expectations at the 5% level after Bonferroni correction. Seven of the 32 microsatellite loci showed the existence of null alleles in control crosses. The second division segregation frequency (y) of the microsatellite loci ranged from 0.07 to 0.85 with a mean of 0.38, suggesting the existence of positive interference after a single chiasma formation in some chromosomes in the scallop. Microsatellite-centromere distances ranged from 4 cM to 42 cM under the assumption of complete interference. Information on the positions of centromeres in relation to the microsatellite loci will represent a contribution towards the assembly of genetic maps in the commercially important scallop species.