Development of microsatellite multiplexes for wild goats using primers designed from domestic Bovidae

Many wild goat taxa (Capra spp.) are endangered and would benefit from the availability of molecular tools that are useful for population management and conservation. We developed microsatellite DNA markers useful in all wild goat species, by using a cross-species amplification approach. Seventy-five microsatellite primer pairs designed from domestic cattle (Bos taurus), sheep (Ovis aries) and goat (Capra hircus) were tested on three distantly related Capra species: C. ibex ibex, C. [i.] sibirica, and C. pyrenaica. On average, 90% of the domestic ungulate primers amplified a microsatellite PCR product in the wild goat species. Forty percent of the total were polymorphic in C. i. ibex, which is expected to have the lowest genetic diversity among all Capra species. We developed multiplexes of 24 polymorphic fluorescent microsatellite loci that can be amplified in 13 PCR reactions and loaded into two gel-lanes. These microsatellites will allow studies of conservation and population ecology in all Capra species, and the multiplexes will reduce the time and cost of the genetic analyses.