title: Applicability of anatid and galliform microsatellite markers to the genetic diversity studies of domestic geese (Anser anser domesticus) through the genotyping of the endangered zatorska breed.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The lack of a sufficient number of molecular markers seriously limits the cognition of genetic relationships within and between populations of many species. Likewise, the genetic diversity of domestic goose (Anser anser domesticus), with a great number of breeds throughout the world, remains poorly understood at the molecular level.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-five goose, seventeen duck and eight chicken microsatellite primer pairs were screened for their utility in the cross-species amplification on DNA from 96 individuals of Zatorska breed of domestic geese. Twenty-seven of 42 amplifying primer pairs revealed length-polymorphic products, but three of them were difficult to score. Fifteen primer pairs amplifying the same length product across all individuals. One polymorphic microsatellite locus was assigned by genotyping of known sex individuals to the Z-chromosome.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We present a set of 24 polymorphic microsatellite markers useful for population genetic studies of the domestic goose. Another 15 markers were classified as monomorphic, but they might also be suitable for the assessment of genetic diversity in geese.
authors.affiliation: Department of Poultry and Fur Animal Breeding and Animal Hygiene, Agricultural University of Krakow, Mickiewicza 24/28, 30-059 Kraków, Poland. k.andres@ur.krakow.pl.
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Andres
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kapkowska