Isolation and characterization of 13 microsatellite loci in the nine-spined stickleback (Pungitius pungitius) and cross-species amplification in 5 stickleback species (family Gasterosteidae)

A microsatellite-enriched genomic library was obtained from the nine-spined stickleback, the freshwater type of Pungitius pungitius, and 13 dinucleotide markers were successfully isolated and characterized. Cross-species amplification of these markers in three Pungitius species and two Gasterosteus species (family Gasterosteidae) was performed under standard conditions. The mean observed and expected heterozygosity was 0.500-0.688 and 0.508-0.750, respectively. Low allelic diversity was noted among the microsatellite loci in P. tymensis. These results confirm the genetic vulnerability of Pungitius and the need for its conservation. The newly established microsatellite markers will facilitate population-genetic and ecological studies for the conservation of sympatric sticklebacks.