Single nucleotide polymorphism for population studies in the scallops Aequipecten opercularis and Mimachlamys varia

Abstract

This study reports the first set of SNP markers for the queen scallop Aequipecten opercularis and the black scallop Mimachlamys varia. SNPs were identified in genomic regions amplified by PCR using primers designed for introns of conserved genes by direct sequencing of PCR products. The frequency of SNPs in the two species was around one every 100 bp. Four SNPs in A. opercularis and two in M. varia were genotyped in 317–327 queen scallops and 168 black scallops sampled in Spanish and Irish populations, using an approach based on a single-base extension reaction with mass-modified terminators. The SNPs characterized provided new estimates of genetic variation in the two scallops and constitute a complementary set of genetic markers for population studies in these exploited species.