Paralog-Specific Primers for the Amplification of Nuclear Loci in Tetraploid Barbels (Barbus: Cypriniformes)

Thirty paralog-specific primers were developed, following an intron-primed exon-crossing strategy, for S7 and growth hormone genes in Barbus (subgenera Barbus and Luciobarbus). We found that paralog-specific amplification requires the use of only one paralog-specific primer, allowing their simultaneous use with universal exon-primed intron-crossing primers of broad taxonomic applicability. This hybrid annealing strategy guarantees both specificity and generality of amplification reactions and represents a step forward in the amplification of duplicated nuclear loci in polyploid organisms and members of multigene families. Assays of several representative taxa identified high levels of segregating single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and nucleotide diversity within each of these subgenera. Additionally, several insertions-deletions (indels) that are diagnostic across species are found in intronic regions. Therefore, these primers provide a reliable source of valuable nuclear SNP and indel data for population and species level studies of barbels, such as applied conservation and basic evolutionary studies.