Genetic characterization of the Cuban water buffalo population using microsatellite DNA markers.

The water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) is an economically important livestock species. This study presents a molecular characterization of the Cuban water buffalo population on the basis of 16 bovine-specifi c microsatellite markers. The mean number of alleles across the 16 loci was 5.44, and the largest number of alleles for a locus was nine for the ETH225 marker and fewest alleles were two for the TGLA126 marker. Observed average heterozygosity was 0.46 ± 0.23 and expected heterozygosity was 0.54 ± 0.19. The overall polymorphic information content (PIC) value for these markers was 0.495. The observed value of inbreeding coeffi cient (F IS ) was of 0.148 and three loci were with signifi cant reduction of heterozygosity (ETH3, HAUT24 and INRA032). Four loci were not in the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium with a signifi cant defi cit heterozygote (ETH3, CSRM60, HAUT24 and INRA032).