Turkey microsatellite loci from an embryonic cDNA library

Expressed sequence tags (EST) containing microsatellites have been used in the development of both genetic linkage maps and syntenic maps for various species and, thus, offer the advantage of being a convenient tool in comparative mapping studies. A turkey embryonic cDNA library was constructed and screened with (CA/TG)(15), (GA/CT)(15), (AGG)(10), and (AAAC)(7) probes for the development of polymorphic microsatellite markers. Sequences of 128 cDNA revealed 42 new loci containing microsatellites. BLAST nucleotide analysis demonstrated significant homology to known mammalian or avian coding regions for 15 of the turkey EST, five of which matched chicken transcripts. The remaining 27 EST represented novel sequences. Of the 42 new loci, 31 were polymorphic when tested on commercial turkey lines, including the founding individuals of a new resource population developed for genetic linkage mapping. Comparative mapping of these markers will provide new information toward the evolutionary divergence of turkey and chicken as well as other species.