Significant Linkage Disequilibrium Research Articles

Clustered Mutations at the Murine and Human IgH Locus Exhibit Significant Linkage Consistent with Templated Mutagenesis.

Somatic hypermutation generates a myriad of Ab mutants in Ag-specific B cells, from which high-affinity mutants are selected. Chickens, sheep, and rabbits use nontemplated point mutations and templated mutations via gene conversion to diversify their expressed Ig loci, whereas mice and humans rely solely on untemplated somatic point mutations. In this study, we demonstrate that, in addition to untemplated point mutations, templated mutagenesis readily occurs at the murine and human Ig loci. We provide two distinct lines of evidence that are not explained by the Neuberger model of somatic hypermutation: 1) across multiple data sets there is significant linkage disequilibrium between individual mutations, especially among close mutations, and 2) among those mutations, those <8 bp apart are significantly more likely to match microhomologous regions in the IgHV repertoire than predicted by the mutation profiles of somatic hypermutation. Together, this supports the role of templated mutagenesis during somatic diversification of Ag-activated B cells.

Using next‐generation sequencing for characterising HLA‐DRB1 and DQB1 loci in a cohort of Colombian women

The Colombian population is characterised by a high genetic diversity, secondary to the ethnic mixture arising from colonisation. Unfortunately, few reports are available regarding HLA-DRB1 and DQB1 diversity in Colombia to date. HLA-DRB1 and DQB1 diversity was identified in this study using next-generating sequencing (NGS) on a cohort of Colombian women. Cervical samples taken from 276 women were used for typing DRB1 and DQB1 loci by Illumina MiSeq. Allele and haplotype frequencies were calculated using an expectation-maximisation algorithm. Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium and linkage disequilibrium (LD) between loci were evaluated. Forty-seven DRB1 alleles and 14 DQB1 alleles were identified. DRB1*04:07:01G and DQB1*03:02:01G alleles occurred most frequently in the target population. Significant LD was found in 44 out of the 144 identified haplotypes, within which DRB1*04:07:01G-DQB1*03:02:01G occurred most frequently (6.56%). The alleles and haplotypes found with NGS agreed with that found in previous reports involving lower resolution for the Colombian population, and greater genetic variability was found, especially concerning DRB1. Comparing allele and haplotype frequency distribution in the target population to that of other populations denoted HLA system intra- and inter-population diversity.

Population structure and linkage disequilibrium in a large collection of Fusarium oxysporum strains analysed through iPBS markers

AbstractIn the current study, 160 pathogenic strains of Fusarium oxysporum collected from tomato, eggplant and pepper were studied. Eighteen inter‐primer binding site (iPBS)‐retrotransposon primers were used, and these primers generated 205 scorable polymorphic bands. The number of polymorphic bands per primer varied between 9 and 19, with a mean of 11 bands per primer. The highest polymorphism information content (PIC) value was determined as 0.27, and the lowest was 0.05. The unweighted pair‐group method with arithmetic averages (UPGMA) dendrogram including a heat map revealed that the 160 pathogenic strains of F. oxysporum were divided into two main clusters. The first cluster mainly included F. oxysporum f. sp. capsici (FOC) and F. oxysporum f. sp. melongenae (FOMG) isolates. The second cluster mainly comprised F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (FOL) and F. oxysporum f. sp. radicis lycopersici (FORL) isolates. The highest percentage of loci in significant linkage disequilibrium (LD) was detected for FOL, whereas the lowest level of LD was found for FOC, and 95.2%, 99.4%, 99.1% and 97.4% of the relative kinship estimates were less than 0.4 for FOL, FOMG, FORL and FOC, respectively. LD differences were detected among formae speciales, and LD was higher in FOL as compare to FOC species. The findings of this study confirm that iPBS‐retrotransposon markers are highly polymorphic at the intraspecific level in Fusarium spp.

Low Genetic Diversity Suggests the Recent Introduction of Dogwood Powdery Mildew to North America.

Cornus florida (flowering dogwood) is a popular understory tree endemic to the eastern hardwood forests of the United States. In 1996, dogwood powdery mildew caused by Erysiphe pulchra, an obligate biotrophic fungus of large bracted dogwoods, reached epidemic levels throughout the C. florida growing region. In the late 1990s, both sexual and asexual stages of E. pulchra were regularly observed; thereafter, the sexual stage was found less frequently. We examined the genetic diversity and population structure of 167 E. pulchra samples on C. florida leaves using 15 microsatellite loci. Samples were organized into two separate collection zone data sets, separated as eight zones and two zones, for the subsequent analysis of microsatellite allele length data. Clone correction analysis reduced the sample size to 90 multilocus haplotypes. Our study indicated low genetic diversity, a lack of definitive population structure, low genetic distance among multilocus haplotypes, and significant linkage disequilibrium among zones. Evidence of a population bottleneck was also detected. The results of our study indicated a high probability that E. pulchra reproduces predominately via asexual conidia and lend support to the hypothesis that E. pulchra is an exotic pathogen to North America.[Formula: see text] Copyright © 2019 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.

Protective association of VDR gene polymorphisms and haplotypes with multiple sclerosis patients in Egyptian population

BackgroundHypovitaminosis D is one of the hazardous factors for multiple sclerosis (MS) and can be attested by expanding clinical studies. We aimed to study vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene polymorphisms: FokI, BsmI, ApaI, TaqI, and Tru9I genotype; frequency; haplotype structure; and linkage disequilibrium (LD) in MS Egyptian patients. The study was conducted on 50 MS patients and 50 healthy controls of matching age and sex. Alleles and genotype variants of VDR gene SNPs were analyzed by PCR using the restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Haplotype and linkage disequilibrium analysis based on the five genetic loci was studied on the detected genotypes.ResultsFrequency of FokI genotype (Ff+ff) was significantly higher in healthy controls (50%) compared to MS (28%) (P = 0.03), and “f” allele was significantly associated with the control group (OR = 0.42, CI = 0.26–0.85, P = 0.015). Frequency of ApaI genotype (Aa+aa) was significantly higher in MS (60%) (P = 0.002), and “a” allele was significantly associated with MS cases (OR = 2.47, CI = 1.25–4.88, P = 0.008). TaqI allelic distribution showed significant association of “t” allele with control group (OR = 0.55, CI = 0.31–0.98, P = 0.04). Statistically significant LD was detected between BsmI and ApaI in controls and MS (D' = 0.89 and P < 0.001, and D' = 0.52 and P < 0.001), respectively. Odd ratios of “fAt” and “BAt” were 0.2 (95% CI = 0.06–0.66) and 0.43 (95% CI = 0.19–0.97), respectively, suggesting that MS risk was 5 times and 2.3 times lesser, respectively, for haplotype carriers compared to non-carriers.ConclusionThe study findings suggest that VDR gene variants “f,” “A,” and “t” alleles as well as VDR gene haplotypes “BAt” and “fAt” may have a protective effect against MS disease in Egyptian population.

Haplotype and linkage disequilibrium of TP53-WRAP53 locus in Iranian-Azeri women with breast cancer.

Among the cancer susceptibility genes, TP53 is one of the crucial genes involved in cell cycle regulations and, therefore, it greatly affects breast cancer initiation and progression. In addition, WRAP53—a natural antisense transcript—regulates TP53 transcription and, as a protein, modulates the normal cell cycle, which results in breast cancer susceptibility. In this study, we aimed to analyze a haplotype comprising four SNPs, including rs1042522, rs17878362, rs2287499, and rs2287498, which are located at 5′ regions of the TP53 and WRAP53 genes, in 118 patients and 110 healthy controls of the Iranian-Azeri population. In silico studies were conducted using the SIFT, Polyphen2, Fanthmm, RNAsnp, and SNP&GO online servers. Linkage disequilibrium (LD) and D′ for each combination of the markers were calculated via the Haploview program. Our results showed that the GA1CC haplotype was the most frequent in the studied population. Additionally, no significant LD between any pairwise haplotypes was observed. The GA1CC and CA2GC haplotypes were significantly associated with breast cancer susceptibility. Moreover, the in silico analysis revealed the negative effects of rs2287499 and rs1042522 on WRAP53 and P53, respectively. In conclusion, the CA1GC haplotype was strongly identified as a breast cancer risk factor, and the GA1CC haplotype was assumed to be a protective factor against breast cancer risk. Hence, these markers may potentially be used as molecular prognostic and predictive biomarkers for breast cancer.

Artificial selection causes significant linkage disequilibrium among multiple unlinked genes in Australian wheat.

Australia has one of the oldest modern wheat breeding programs worldwide although the crop was first introduced to the country in 1788. Breeders selected wheat with high adaptation to different Australian climates, while ensuring satisfactory yield and quality. This artificial selection left distinct genomic signatures that can be used to retrospectively understand breeding targets, and to detect economically important alleles. To study the effect of artificial selection on modern cultivars and cultivars released in different Australian states, we genotyped 482 Australian cultivars representing the history of wheat breeding in Australia since 1840. Computer simulation showed that 86 genomic regions were significantly affected by artificial selection. Characterization of 18 major genes known to affect wheat adaptation, yield, and quality revealed that many were affected by artificial selection and contained within regions under selection. Similarly, many reported QTL and genes for yield, quality, and adaptation were also contained in regions affected by artificial selection. These included TaCwi‐A1, TaGw2‐6A, Sus‐2B, TaSus1‐7A, TaSAP1‐7A, Glu‐A1, Glu‐B1, Glu‐B3, PinA, PinB, Ppo‐D1, Psy‐A1, Psy‐A2, Rht‐A1, Rht‐B1, Ppd‐D1, Vrn‐A1, Vrn‐B1, and Cre8. Interestingly, 17 regions affected by artificial selection were in moderate‐to‐high linkage disequilibrium with each other with an average r 2 value of 0.35 indicating strong simultaneous selection on specific alleles. These regions included Glu‐B1, TaGw2‐6A, Cre8, Ppd‐D1, Rht‐B1, Vrn‐B1, TaSus1‐7A, TaSAP1‐7A, and Psy‐A1 plus multiple QTL affecting wheat yield and yield components. These results highlighted the effects of the long‐term artificial selection on Australian wheat germplasm and identified putative regions underlying important traits in wheat.

Assessment of the genetic relationship between the recently established benthic population and the adjacent floating populations of Sargassum horneri (Phaeophyceae) in Dalian of China by newly developed trinucleotide microsatellite markers

Sargassum horneri is a conspicuous canopy-forming brown seaweed growing on solid substrates or floating on sea surface. A recently established benthic population was discovered in a bay in Dalian, China, in 2016 and suggested to be derived from the earlier floating population. Since 2016, floating populations have kept appearing in the adjacent area. The genetic connectivity between this recently established benthic population and the adjacent floating populations remains unclear. In this study, 10 novel informative trinucleotide microsatellite markers were developed through the high throughput sequencing technology, and employed to analyze the genetic structure of the benthic population (DS16 and DS18) and three adjacent floating populations (DL16, BL16, and DL18) sampled in 2016 and 2018, with one floating population collected from Shidao in 2016 (SD16) as reference. Significant genetic differentiation was found to exist between the benthic and floating populations, and among floating populations from different years. Almost no membership of floating populations was detected in the benthic population and vice versa by the Bayesian model–based structure analysis, indicating very limited genetic connectivity between them. Significant excess of heterozygosity, significant multilocus linkage disequilibrium, high frequency of repeated genotypes, and putative clones were detected in all floating populations, indicating that asexual reproduction is likely dominant in them. Inbreeding and founder effect were revealed to be present in the benthic population. Further studies will focus on tracking the dynamics of genetic structure in the recently established benthic population and investigating the exact reproductive means and patterns of floating populations.

Development and characterization of 10 novel polymorphic microsatellite loci in Homatula potanini (Günther, 1896)

Homatula potanini is a genus Paracobitis which belongs to the family Cobitidae, subfamily Nemacheilinae. We first isolated ten novel microsatellite DNA loci using the FIASCO protocol. The number of observed alleles per locus ranged from 5 to 14. The observed heterozygosity and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.3750 to 0.9375 and 0.4028 to 0.8819 respectively. The polymorphic information content ranged from 0.3515 to 0.8556 (M = 0.6170). No significant linkage disequilibrium was detected among the loci. In the present study, we have identified 10 new markers for H. potanini. These loci should provide sufficient levels in the evaluation of genetic diversity and designing effective conservation programs of H. potanini.

ASSOCIATION MAPPING OF MORPHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL TRAITS OF FLAG LEAF RELATED TO DROUGHT TOLERANCE IN BARLEY

Association mapping has proven to be a powerful approach for dissecting the genetic basis of complex traits. In this study, QTLs controlling flag leaf characteristics under drought stress were detected in a set of 148 modern spring barley cultivars using AM analysis. Flag leaf length (FLL), flag leaf width (FLW), relative water content (RWC), chlorophyll content, and maximum quantum efficiency of PSII (Fv/Fm) which are important in photosynthetic rate, were evaluated under normal irrigation and drought stress conditions at grain filling stage. Population structure was estimated using Structure 2.3 and linkage disequilibrium (LD) was estimated by the ‘Full Matrix LD’ using Tassel 5.0 . Significant marker/trait associations were investigated based on K-Q matrix using Tassel 3.0 . The analysis of population structure divided the cultivars into two sub-groups. Significant LD values (P < 0.01) between polymorphic sites with regions of high and low LD were observed. A total of 84 significant putative genomic regions were identified, which delineated into 37 QTLs under two water treatments. Two stable QTLs on 2H and 3H were detected for FLL in drought stress treatment. A QTL for FLL were detected on 2H in normal treatment, which alone explained around 11% of phenotypic variance of FLL. This QTL was also associated with the expression of FLW and explained around 7.5% of phenotypic variance. The results suggest that major loci are located on chromosomes 2H, 3H, 4H and 5H involved in the development of flag leaf characteristics and could be used as selection criteria in barley breeding for drought tolerance.

Detecting Wahlund effects together with amplification problems: Cryptic species, null alleles and short allele dominance in Glossina pallidipes populations from Tanzania

Population genetics is a convenient tool to study the population biology of non-model and hard to sample species. This is particularly true for parasites and vectors. Heterozygote deficits and/or linkage disequilibrium often occur in such studies and detecting the origin of those (Wahlund effect, reproductive system or amplification problems) is uneasy. We used new tools (correlation between the number of times a locus is found in significant linkage disequilibrium and its genetic diversity, correlations between Wright's FIS and FST , FIS and number of missing data, FIT and allele size and standard errors comparisons) for the first time on a real data set of tsetse flies, a vector of dangerous diseases to humans and domestic animals in sub-Saharan Africa. With these new tools, and cleaning data from null allele, temporal heterogeneity and short allele dominance effects, we unveiled the coexistence of two highly divergent cryptic clades in the same sites. These results are in line with other studies suggesting that the biodiversity of many taxa still largely remain undescribed, in particular pathogenic agents and their vectors. Our results also advocate that including individuals from different cohorts tends to bias subdivision measures and that keeping loci with short allele dominance and/or too frequent missing data seriously jeopardize parameter's estimations. Finally, separated analyses of the two clades suggest very small tsetse densities and relatively large dispersal.

Interleukin-1 Alpha Polymorphisms Are Associated With Body Mass Index in Male But Not in Female Adolescents

The Interleukin (IL)-1 family of cytokines plays a key role in the inflammatory response. Genes coding for IL-1α, IL-1β, and IL-1Ra are located together as a block gene known as the IL-1 cluster. This genomic region shows wide nucleotide variability, and some polymorphisms have been widely studied and associated with features related to the metabolic syndrome. Eight polymorphisms within three genes of the IL-1 cluster, including IL1A (rs3783553, rs17561, and rs1800587), IL1B (rs1143634, rs1143627, and rs16944) and IL1RN (rs419598 and rs2234663) were genotyped in 460 Mexican adolescents. Genotype and haplotype frequencies are reported, as well as the linkage disequilibrium analysis. Genetic associations with some anthropometric and metabolic traits were evaluated. Allele frequencies were similar to those found in other populations, and genotype proportions were according to the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Seven haplotypes were observed at frequencies ≥5%. Of the entire cluster, only the rs17561-rs1800587 and rs1143627-rs16944 pairs showed highest and significant linkage disequilibrium values. An haplotype of IL1A, rs17561T-rs1800587T, was significantly associated with increase in body mass index in males (p <0.008), whereas IL1B and IL1RN variants showed associations with insulin, and hs-CRP (p <0.05). Some MetS parameters seem to be influenced by variations in the IL-1 gene cluster in Mexican adolescents. These variations may confer risk for metabolic alterations from early ages, and and these risks may be different when variables such as sex are considered. Strategies leading to generate protective behaviors could be designed to take into account specific variations in the IL-1 gene cluster and biological conditions such as sex.

Population structure and genetic diversity of Vibrio parahaemolyticus from a coastal area of China based on a multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) scheme.

The Gram-negative marine bacterium Vibrio parahaemolyticus has been identified as a major cause of bacterial food poisoning in China. Here, the population structure and genetic diversity of V. parahaemolyticus from Weihai, a coastal city in China, was studied by the multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) method. In this survey, we isolated 40 strains including environmental and clinical samples of patients with acute gastroenteritis or diarrhea; isolates from other countries were also included for comparison. DnaSP Version5, START V2, eBURST version3 and Mega 6 were used to analyse the data. We found that ST3 and ST332 were the most prevalent clones and that they were closely associated with acute diarrhoeal diseases. These STs showed a low dN/dS ratio and significant linkage disequilibrium. All isolates were divided into four clonal complexes, six groups and nine singletons, showing a high degree of genetic diversity. 18 STs, mostly from environmental isolates, were recognised by the MLST analysis for the first time. In conclusion, ST3 and ST332 were the epidemic STs in the coastal area. ST332 might be a region-specific ST, which needs to be confirmed by further analysis. Thus, the long-term monitoring of V. parahaemolyticus plays an important role in preventing and controlling the transmission between environment and people in Weihai.

Identification of microsatellite markers and their application in yellow catfish (Pseudobagrus fulvidraco Richardson, 1846) population genetics of Korea

Microsatellite markers from a fresh water yellow catfish, Pseudobagrus fulvidraco, were developed by whole-genome sequencing in the Ion S5 system. Of the 40 chosen sets of microsatellite markers, with tetra-repeat and penta-repeat motifs, from a total 19,743 sequence, only 13 markers were successfully applied in 78 individual fish sampled to detect genomic variability from four natural populations of Korea. On an average, the number of alleles per marker was 6.7. The observed heterozygosity varied from 0.048 to 0.810. Twelve microsatellite markers conformed to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and none exhibited significant linkage disequilibrium. In yellow catfish, genetic differentiation among four natural populations was further supported by FST (P < 0.05) and STRUCTURE analysis. The microsatellite markers identified could facilitate genetic diversity and population structure studies and thus aid in conservation of the yellow catfish.

Genetic polymorphism of 27 X-chromosomal short tandem repeats in an Egyptian population.

We presented allele frequencies of 27 X-chromosomal short tandem repeats (DXS6807, DXS9902, DXS6795, DXS6810, DXS10076, DXS10077, DXS10078, DXS10162, DXS10163, DXS10164, DXS7132, DXS981, DXS6800, DXS6803, DXS6809, DXS6789, DXS6799, DXS7424, DXS101, DXS7133, GATA172D05, DXS10103, HPRTB, GATA31E08, DXS8377, DXS10147, and DXS7423) obtained from 352 unrelated individuals in Egypt. No deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was detected. Two pairs of adjacent loci showed significant linkage disequilibrium. In the principal component analysis plot, the Egyptian data were located between Europe and sub-Saharan Africa, away from Asia.

Genetic diversity of inner quality and SSR association analysis of wild kiwifruit (Actinidia eriantha)

In order to establish the link between fruit quality traits and genotypes with specific allelic variations, one hundred and forty five wild kiwifruit (A. eriantha) germplasm resources were used to evaluate the fruit quality, and their SSR markers were used to analyze the genetic diversity and also the correlation between the natural variation of their main inner qualities and SSR markers in this study. The results showed that there were abundant variations in the main inner quality of the tested materials, among which the variation coefficient of soluble sugar content (SS) was the largest, followed by carotenoid content (Car) and chlorophyll content (Chl). Sixteen excellent wild A. eriantha germplasms were selected by principal component analysis. Genetic diversity analysis of SSR markers showed that the number of alleles detected per pair of primers was 3˜13, with an average of 5.6 alleles and 2.83 effective alleles, the Shannon 's information index was 1.12, and the Ne’s gene diversity index was 0.566. The population structure and linkage disequilibrium (LD) of the tested materials were analyzed by 40 pairs of SSR markers, after conditional filtration with gene frequency of 0.05, there was significant linkage disequilibrium in some of the SSR polymorphism markers. When P < 0.05, eight markers were found to be associated with five quality traits such as SS, titratable acid content (TA), Chl, dry matter (DM) and soluble solids content (SSC). While when P < 0.01, only a significant correlation was found between the marker A193 and SS. In this study, the relative stable markers associated with the inner quality of wild A. eriantha fruit were excavated, and specific allelic variations were established between phenotypes and genotypes. The results could lay a theoretical foundation for the breeding and genetic improvement of novel varieties of A. eriantha in the future.

Rapid development and characterization of EST-SSR markers for the honey locust seed beetle, Megabruchidius dorsalis (Coleoptera: Bruchidae), using de novo transcriptome analysis based on next-generation sequencing

We developed 10 novel simple sequence repeat markers from expressed sequence tags for the honey locust seed beetle, Megabruchidius dorsalis Fahraeus 1839 (Coleoptera: Bruchidae, using de novo transcriptome analysis based on next-generation sequencing. In a M. dorsalis Harataima (Kanagawa-pref.) population, the number of alleles per locus ranged from 2 to 6, with an average of 4.0. Observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.13 to 0.72 and 0.17 to 0.72, respectively. We initially developed 11 novel markers, but one was eliminated because it showed significant linkage disequilibrium with another locus after Bonferroni correction. To check the applicability of the remaining 10 markers, we used them to analyze two additional geographic populations (Yashima, Akita-pref., and Kameoka, Kyoto-pref.). Mean numbers of alleles per locus in the Yashima and Kameoka populations were 2.6 and 2.9, respectively, with corresponding mean observed heterozygosities of 0.36 and 0.52. These results based on the two additional populations confirm that our developed markers worked efficiently. The simple sequence repeat markers developed from expressed sequence tags in the present study should, therefore, be useful for explicating the population genetic structure of M. dorsalis and for future paternal analyses.

Characterization of 36 insert/deletion mutations by STR genotyping method in grass carp, Ctenopharyngodon idella

Grass carp is one of the most important freshwater aquaculture fish in China. Though a few molecular markers had been reported, it was not enough for grass carp germplasm improvement and protection. In order to verify the effectiveness and practicability of insert/deletion mutations reported in grass carp genome, 85 insert/deletion mutations were randomly selected and analyzed. After simple sequence analysis and attempting primer design, 49 markers were removed due to being simple sequence repeats or unable to design primer for them. Finally, 36 insert/deletion mutations were successfully characterized by STR genotyping method in 32 wild grass carp (collected from Pearl River). The mean effective number of alleles (Ne), observed heterozygosity (Ho), expected heterozygosity (He) and polymorphic information content (PIC) were 1.4976, 0.3190, 0.2970 and 0.2349, respectively. Among all the 36 insert/deletion mutations, three deviated significantly from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (P < 0.05). In addition, three pairs of loci (ID-13F with ID-24H, ID-20F with ID-21H and ID-39F with ID-64H) had significant linkage disequilibrium (P < 0.05). Those insert/deletion mutations may lay the foundation for germplasm improvement and protection in grass carp.

Development and characterization of novel microsatellite loci for the Blue-fronted Amazon (Amazona aestiva, Psittaciformes, Aves) and cross-species amplification for other two threatened Amazona species.

Parrots are among the most threatened avian groups of the world, with illegal pet trade being a major threat to some Amazon (Amazona genus) and macaw (Ara and Anodorhynchus genera) species. Population genetic studies and effective control of commercial breeders are important actions for the conservation of these parrot species; however, few microsatellite loci are available for most Amazona species to date. In this study, 25 polymorphic microsatellite loci were identified in silico and characterized for the Blue-fronted Amazon [Amazona aestiva (Aa)]. Loci were tested in 24 Blue-fronted Amazons from wild population from central Brazil with cross-species amplified in two individuals of Amazona vinacea (Av) and Amazona pretrei (Ap) from northeastern Minas Gerais and Rio Grande do Sul, in southeastern and south of Brazil, respectively. The number of alleles per locus for Aa ranged from 5 to 24 with an average of 13.1. Twenty-four and 25 loci were successfully amplified for Av and Ap, respectively. The observed and expected heterozygosities for Aa ranged from 0.27 to 1.00 and from 0.35 to 0.94, with averages of 0.75 and 0.85, respectively. Nine loci significantly deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium after Bonferroni correction (likely due to null alleles) and no significant linkage disequilibrium between loci pairs was detected. The combined paternity exclusion probability was very high, and the probability of identity was extremely low. This new set of microsatellite loci will be useful for analyzing population genetic structure and making conservation and management decisions, as well as for parentage analysis and the control of commercial breeding of Aa and potentially other Amazona species.

Genotyping of 49-plex autosomal SNP panel in Iranian Turkmens ethnic group.

A total of 94 unrelated individuals from Turkmens ethnic group in Iran were typed for forty-nine of the autosomal single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the SNPforID 52plex using the SNaPshot assay. Allele frequencies are presents for the 49 SNPs. No deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) was observed in all but one of the 49 SNP systems and no significant linkage disequilibrium was detected for any SNP pairs. FIS and FST were estimated. A statistically significant global FST value was obtained when Turkmens ethnic group were compared with other 20 populations in Turkey, Israel, Pakistan, India, China, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, Siberia, Algeria, Somali, Uganda, Mozambique, Angola, Nigeria, Russia, Slovenia, Sweden, France and Spain. All but 11 pairwise FST values were statistically significant. Multidimensional scaling plot drawn based on the pairwise FST values showed that the Turkmens ethnic grouped with populations geographically close to Iran and other Middle-Eastern populations. The cumulative values for the match probability using the 49 SNPs was 5.65 × 10-19 consistent to a combined power of discrimination of >99.99999% and the mean exclusion probability was 99.95%.