Diversidad genética de cinco poblaciones asnales mediante el empleo de marcadores microsatélites

Genetic characterization of five asinine populations, corresponding to two Brazilian breeds (Nordestina - two populations - and Marchador Brasileiro), a local breed of Portugal (Burro de Miranda) and a diverse group of individuals from different Iberian populations was performed based on 193 animals. Fifteen microsatellites markers were analyzed in order to estimate the inter/intra population variability as well as to know the genetic relationship between Brazilian and Iberian asses. The results showed that the majority of loci were not at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in the investigated populations due to a significant excess of homozygotes (P<0.05). Brazilian populations are not linked to European populations. The two Nordestina breed populations showed a well-defined structure and can be considered as two distinct populations. The Conservation Nucleus of Marchador Brasileiro breed, however, showed two different clusters, probably due to its reduced size with individuals from different origins (FIS = 0.2714). These donkeys are a high priority for the conservation of genetic resources. The information generated by microsatellites can be used for mating strategies in order to recover their diversity, especially regarding to the excess of homozygotes. There will be a new sampling in this Nucleus, in order to know more precisely the level of inbreeding present to supervise its diversity.