Validation of microsatellite markers for routine canine parentage testing in Korea

Microsatellite DNA markers were investigated for individual identification and parentage verification in three dog breeds. A total of 109 random dog samples (31 Chihuahua, 20 Poongsan, 58 German Shepherd) were genotyped by using 11 international standard markers (PEZ1, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 15, 17, FHC2010, FHC2054 and FHC2079) having tetranucleotide repeats unit. The observed number of alleles per locus ranged from 4 to 14, with a mean value of 6.27, in the Chihuahua, 2 to 6 (mean 4.73) in the Poongsan, and 3 to 15 (mean 7.64) in the German Shepherd. Mean levels of genetic variation in the Poongsan (H_O = 0.595; H_E = 0.555; PIC = 0.502) were similar to those in the German Shepherd (H_O = 0.470; H_E = 0.559; PIC = 0.525). By contrast, mean levels of genetic variation were significantly higher (H _O = 0.765; H_E = 0.719; PIC = 0.665) in the Chihuahua. PIC values ranged 0.434-0.856 (mean 0.665), 0.222-0.753 (mean 0.502), and 0.066-0.840 (mean 0.525) in the Chihuahua, Poongsan, and German Shepherd, respectively. Of the 11 markers, PEZ1, PEZ6, PEZ10, PEZ12 loci, PEZ1, PEZ6 loci, PEZ6, and PEZ10 loci had relatively high PIC values (≥0.7) in these three populations. The total PE values of the 11 microsatellite loci were 0.9995, 0.9925, and 0.9965, respectively. These results present basic information for developing a system for parentage verification and individual identification in these three dog breeds.