Application of chicken microsatellite markers to molecular monitoring of the experimental population of Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica)*

Chromosome homology is highly conserved between chicken (Gallus gallus) and Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) and a few chromosome rearrangements occurred in the evolution of these two species. Microsatellite markers are invaluable tools in molecular biology for genome analysis, mapping, search for quantitative trait loci, and phylogenetic studies. In the current study, 25 microsatellite sequences for molecular analysis of 98 Japanese quail (49 of each sex) were used including 11 chicken microsatellite markers which had been analysed by other authors in chicken genome research. Eighty-two percent (9/11) of chicken primer pairs amplified individual loci in Japanese quail and together with the remaining primers were polymorphic. The HE and PIC values indicated that the most (14/23) of the selected microsatellite sequences are useful as genetic markers. The study contributed to a better understanding of the Japanese quail genome, and the successful cross-species amplification led to identification of polymorphic markers that will be indispensable for identifying homologous regions on chromosomes.