Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci for white-lipped peccaries (Tayassu pecari) and cross-amplification in collared peccaries (Pecari tajacu)

White-lipped peccaries, Tayassu pecari, are neotropical ungulates whose populations have been declining in numerous locations within their geographical distribution. Here we describe 16 microsatellite loci isolated from T. pecari and their cross-amplification in collared peccaries, Pecari tajacu. In 30 individuals of T. pecari, a total of 32 alleles were found in ten polymorphic loci, ranging from 2 to 8 alleles per locus with a mean of 3.2. The expected and observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.143 to 0.802 and from 0 to 0.704, respectively. Two loci deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. In P. tajacu, nine loci were polymorphic with a mean of 3.2 alleles per locus. These molecular markers will be useful to study the genetic status of peccary populations and, consequently, to help their conservation.

Isolation and characterization of 15 microsatellite loci in the stingless bee Plebeia remota (Apidae: Meliponini)

The destruction of Brazilian natural habitats has reduced bee populations and negative impacts of native flora pollination have been noticed. This work describes the isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci and evaluates them as molecular markers to study genetic variability of the stingless bee Plebeia remota. A microsatellite enriched genomic library was constructed and 15 primer pairs were designed for this species. The survey was conducted by analyzing 21 unrelated individuals. Genetic diversity indexes were calculated. The mean allelic richness was 6.3, the observed heterozygosity was 0.568, and the percentage of polymorphic loci was 93.33%. Also the primers were tested in cross-species amplification and showed promising results for P. droryana, P. emerina, P. lucii, P. meridionalis, P. pugnax, and P. saiqui. The microsatellite loci described here will be useful to evaluate genetic variability of stingless bees, and certainly will improve our knowledge about population dynamics especially in threatened environments.

Characterization of microsatellite loci of Tetragonisca angustula (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Meliponini)

An enriched genomic library was constructed from Tetragonisca angustula, a stingless bee species widely distributed in Brazil. The library was screened using two simple-repeat oligonucleotide probes and 21 microsatellite primer pairs were designed flanking a selection of repeat sequences within positive clones. The polymorphism of the microsatellite loci was analyzed by screening a sample of 19 unrelated T. angustula workers. Fifteen out of 21 loci were shown to be polymorphic, with observed heterozygosity estimates ranging from 0.00 to 0.89. The primers were also successfully used to amplify microsatellite loci from other stingless bee species, Tetragonisca fiebrigi, Tetragonisca weyrauchi, Lestrimelitta maracaia and Schwarziana quadripunctata. The results from variability analyses suggest that the microsatellite loci isolated from T. angustula will be useful in further population studies for the species and also for other Meliponini.

Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci in the Brazilian orchid Epidendrum fulgens

Epidendrum fulgens has a patchy distribution along the Atlantic Rainforest in the Brazilian coast, due to the destruction of its native habitat. Here, we report on both the development of nine new microsatellite markers isolated from this species and the characterization of their allele variability in two distant and unrelated populations. The number of alleles observed for each locus ranged from 2 to 17 with an average of 6.4 alleles per locus. These microsatellites should be valuable tools for studying the effect of habitat fragmentation on the genetic structure of E. fulgens populations.

Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci in Epidendrum puniceoluteum, an endemic orchid from the Atlantic Rainforest

Epidendrum puniceoluteum is an endemic orchid of Atlantic Rainforest, restricted to few populations only due to the destruction and fragmentation of its native habitat. Here, we report on the development of 10 microsatellite markers isolated from this orchid species. Genetic variability was characterized in two distant populations from Brazil coast. The number of alleles observed for each locus ranged from two to 12 and with an average of 6.4 alleles per locus. These microsatellites should be valuable tools for studying both fine-scale genetic structure of scattered E. puniceoluteum population and patterns will be useful genetic markers for other closely related taxa.

Conserved tissue expression signatures of intronic noncoding RNAs transcribed from human and mouse loci

It has been postulated that noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) are involved in the posttranscriptional control of gene expression, and may have contributed to the emergence of the complex attributes observed in mammalians. We show here that the complement of ncRNAs expressed from intronic regions of the human and mouse genomes comprises at least 78,147 and 39,660 transcriptional units, respectively. To identify conserved intronic sequences expressed in both humans and mice, we used custom-designed human cDNA microarrays to separately interrogate RNA from mouse and human liver, kidney, and prostate tissues. An overlapping tissue expression signature was detected for both species, comprising 198 transcripts; among these, 22 RNAs map to intronic regions with evidence of evolutionary conservation in humans and mice. Transcription of selected human-mouse intronic ncRNAs was confirmed using strand-specific RT-PCR. Altogether, these results support an evolutionarily conserved role of intronic ncRNAs in human and mouse, which are likely to be involved in the fine tuning of gene expression regulation in different mammalian tissues. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.