Abstract

Many evolutionary studies, particularly kinship studies, have been limited by the availability of segregating genetic marker loci. Microsatellites promise to alleviate these problems. Microsatellite loci are segments of DNA with very short sequence motifs repeated in tandem; their often numerous alleles differ in the number of these repeat units. They are very common in eukaryotic DNA and can be amplified by the polymerase chain reaction, which allows the use of minute or degraded DNA samples. The alleles can be scored consistently and compared unambiguously, even across different gels.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)285-288
Number of pages4
JournalTrends in Ecology and Evolution
Volume8
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 1993

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