Development of the First Microsatellite Multiplex PCR Panel for Meagre (Argyrosomus regius), a Commercial Aquaculture Species

Abstract

In this study, a microsatellite-based multiplex PCR panel for meagre (Argyrosomus regius) was developed as a useful and single tool in parental assignment and population studies. Twenty-one specific and interspecific microsatellites from different aquaculture species of meagre (Argyrosomus regius), Japanese meagre (A. japonicus), red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) and yellow meagre (Acoupa weakfish) were assessed for genetic variability, allelic range and genotype reliability. Finally, a SuperMultiplex for Argyrosomus regius (SMAr) was designed with only the best eight microsatellite markers. The panel assessment was performed using a batch of brood stock from one company and a sample of 616 offspring. It was possible to assign 95% of the offspring to a single pair of parents using the exclusion method. It is therefore considered an easy procedure, and a powerful and low-cost tool for parental assignment to support companies’ breeding programs and to exchange information between research groups.

Chromosome genome assembly for the meagre, Argyrosomus regius, reveals species adaptations and sciaenid sex-related locus evolution

“…The recent increased interest in improving meagre breeding and culture has created the need for genetic resources for the species. In this direction, there has been prior research on the development of genetic markers for the study of growth traits, including the meagre muscle and liver transcriptomes ( Manousaki et al, 2018 ), a microsatellite PCR panel ( Vallecillos et al, 2022 ) a broodstock structure analysis ( Nousias et al, 2021 ) and a recent meagre ddRAD linkage map ( Nousias et al, 2022 ). While such efforts provide valuable tools for meagre aquaculture, they remain constrained in the absence of a complete nuclear genomic sequence and would greatly benefit from the availability of a high-quality assembly for the species.…”

Microsatellites as Molecular Markers with Applications in Exploitation and Conservation of Aquatic Animal Populations

“…Microsatellite loci have been applied in pedigree tracing of a hatchery strain of Japanese flounder, P. olivaceus , to be stocked in natural sea areas [ 418 ], parentage analysis and paternity success assessment of turbot, S. maximus L. in hatcheries in Spain [ 419 , 420 ], parentage assignment of turbot and rainbow trout in France [ 421 ], and Atlantic salmon, S. salar , in Ireland [ 422 ], parentage analysis and paternity success assessment of cod in Denmark [ 423 ], parentage analysis and identification of trait differences in survival and growth among a harvest of communally reared families of Atlantic cod, G. morhua , in Canada [ 424 ], identification of relatedness and differentiation of hatchery populations of Asian seabass ( L. calcarifer ) broodstock in Thailand [ 425 ], parentage analysis of and identification of spawning frequency and timing of brood dams and sires of red drum, S. ocellatus , in a marine fish stock-enhancement hatchery in the USA [ 426 ], and of European anchovy, E. encrasicolus , under a pilot project for aquaculture and enhancement of native populations in Spain [ 427 ], analysis of increased genetic relatedness in a hatchery stock in comparison with a wild Senegal sole, S. senegalensis , population [ 428 ], pedigree classification for giant grouper, Epinephelus lanceolatus , broodstock management in Taiwan [ 429 ], identification of parental relatedness in a naturalized population of Pacific oysters, Crassostrea gigas in Dabob Bay, Washington, USA [ 430 ], parentage analysis in Asian seabass for hatchery purposes [ 431 ], parentage assessment of blunt snout bream, Megalobrama amblycephala , crosses for a freshwater polyculture system in China [ 432 ], and greater amberjack, S. dumerili [ 433 ], estimation of parentage and relatedness in the polyploid white sturgeon, A. transmontanus [ 434 ], and experimental assessment of genetic tagging with multiplexed microsatellite markers and founder representation in hatchery-reared red drum ( S. ocellatus ) fingerlings used in stock enhancement [ 435 ]. A microsatellite-based multiplex PCR panel was constructed that allowed 95% of the offspring to be assigned to a single pair of parents of the meagre Argyrosomus regius to support the breeding program in the Mediterranean aquaculture [ 436 ].…”

Comparison of genetic diversity of farmed Oreochromis niloticus and wild unidentified tilapia (Wesafu) using microsatellite markers

“…Microsatellites are short stretches (tens to hundreds of base pairs) of DNA composed of di-, tri-, or tetra-nucleotide repeats arrayed in tandem. According to Vallecillos et al (2022), they are highly polymorphic in teleost fish, with as many as 52 alleles observed at one locus in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar Linnaeus, 1758). This variability makes for suitability in a variety of applications in fisheries and aquaculture, particularly where genetic differentiation between populations may be limited.…”