The mtDNA control region for shrimp beard Vegetable Artemisia longinaris (Decapoda: Penaeidae) and its potential use as a marker for population analysis

Abstract

The shrimp Artemesia longinaris is endemic from Southwestern Atlantic and is commercially exploited from Argentina (Puerto Rawson – 21o37’S) to Southeastern Brazil (Rio de Janeiro – 43o 00’S). Molecular markers, such as the mtDNA control region, (CR) have been used to elucidate the population structure of penaeid shrimps worldwide. The suitability of mtDNA CR of the barba-ruça shrimp as a molecular marker at a population level was tested and a novel set of primers to amplify this region has been designed. Primers were rooted in the flanking genes of the CR that showed the same order (12S at 5’ and tRNAIle3 at 3’ extreme) as reported for other penaeid shrimps. The CR of A. longinaris was 990 bp long, presenting two hypervariable regions at the 5’ and 3’ extremes (more variable), and a central one with less polymorphism. In addition, an internal primer set to amplify approximately 800 bp of 5’ extreme of CR, including the hypervariable region I, is provided to help resolving population structure. Comparison of the CR with cytochrome oxydase I (COI) sequences showed that the former gene presents higher polymorphism. Nucleotide diversity estimated for CR was low (=0.017), and haplotype diversity high (Hd=0.92), but both fall within the values suggested for the family. Preliminary Fst values suggest that populations inhabiting extremes of distribution show less genetic interchange. Briefly, we were able to confirm the suitability of CR hypervariable regions of A. longinaris as a molecular marker to resolve the population structure of A. longinaris. identification.