title: Double-strand conformation polymorphism (DSCP) analysis of the mitochondrial control region generates highly variable markers for population studies in a social insect.
abstract: Genetic markers were obtained for the termite Nasutitermes corniger by DSCP (double-strand conformation polymorphism) analysis of PCR-amplified mitochondrial control region DNA. This procedure revealed twenty-one haplotypes in forty-four colonies, whereas a restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis detected only nine haplotypes. Sequence analysis of DSCP fragments of contrasting mobilities suggests that the electrophoretic haplotypes are caused by DNA curvature in this highly AT-rich region. DSCP markers showed that some termite colonies contained maternally unrelated queens, each of which produced worker offspring. This pattern is consistent with nest founding by unrelated queens. Due to the availability of conserved primers for the mtDNA control region, DSCP analysis may readily reveal comparatively high levels of variation in a wide variety of organisms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Rochester, New York 14627, USA. latk@troi.cc.rochester.edu
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Atkinson
authors.forename: E S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Adams
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics*; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005819:Genetic Markers; D006239:Haplotypes; D007313:Insecta / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D005819:Genetic Markers; D004247:DNA