A study on genetic differentiation in two species of Iranian bleaks, (Alburnus mossulensis) and (Alburnus caeruleus) (Teleostei, Cyprinidae) using simple sequence repeats

The genetic structure of the genus Alburnus is not well known and the phylogenetic relationships among its species are uncertain. In the present study, simple sequence repeats (SSRs or microsatellites) were used to evaluate genetic diversity and genetic differentiation between Alburnus mossulensis Heckel, 1843 from Kashgan River in Lorestan province and Alburnus caeruleus Heckel, 1843 from Gamasiab River in Kermanshah province. Thirty specimens from each species were collected and their genomic DNA was extracted. Polymerase chain reaction was performed using four pairs of SSR markers, including CypG24, BL1-2b, BL1-98 and Rser10, from which a total of 480 bands were amplified. The average observed and expected heterozygosities for both species were similar. In both species, except for Rser10 locus, all loci deviated from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (P < 0.05). Average genetic distance and Fst values between the two species were 0.361 and 0.04, respectively. The AMOVA analysis revealed more interspecific (94%) than intraspecific (4%) genetic variation. Although four sets of SSR markers developed for other cyprinids showed high level of polymorphisms in the Iranian bleaks, they showed low genetic differentiation between them. Study on the possibility of genetic differentiation of two examined species by more microsatellite loci or other molecular markers such as amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLP) are recommended.