Identification and Use of Three New Biochemical Markers in Agancus bisporus

Abstract

Three additional structural gene loci (Acp, EstB-1 and Pgm, encoding the enzymes acid phosphatase, esterase B and phosphoglucomutase, respectively) were identified in commercial and research-maintained lines (155) of Agancus bispoms. The addition of these new marker loci effectively increases the total number of biochemical loci now available in A. bispoms by 60%. Allozyme variability at all eight structural gene loci (Aat, Acp, Adh, EstB-1, Gpt, Pep-1, Pep-2 and Pgm) was used to classify the lines into only 37 genotypic classes out of more than 3 million possible. A recalculated UPGM (unweighted pair-group method) cluster analysis, based on coefficients of similarity for all lines examined, is presented. The limited genetic diversity in this germplasm collection, as evidenced by linkage disequilibrium between loci and a lack of fit to Hardy-Weinberg expectations, commercially remains untapped.