Validation of 10 microsatellite loci for their use in parentage verification and individual identification in the Yugoslavian Shepherd Dog Sharplanina

The aim of the study was to assess a commercially available microsatellite panel for use in paternity and identification analyses in the Yugoslavian Shepherd Dog Sharplanina, an ancient livestock guarding breed. Allele frequencies for 10 microsatellite loci (PEZ01, FHC2054, FHC2010, PEZ05, PEZ20, PEZ12, PEZ03, PEZ06, PEZ08 and FHC2079) were determined in 103 unrelated Yugoslavian Shepherd Dog individuals. The loci revealed varied levels of polymorphism (five to 12 alleles), with an average of 7.83 per locus. Average values of observed heterozygosity and polymorphic information content (PIC) were 0.64 and 0.66, respectively. Nine out of 10 microsatellite markers were highly informative with PIC values higher than 0.5. The obtained value of combined power of exclusion (0.9989) confirms usefulness of this panel of microsatellites for parentage verification, while the value of combined power of discrimination of 0.9999 clearly shows that the panel can conclusively identify individual dogs. In conclusion, the results obtained suggest that the selected set of commercially available microsatellite markers may be used as a routine tool for parentage verification and individual identification in the Yugoslavian Shepherd Dog. Although analysis of genetic variability of the Yugoslavian Shepherd Dog was not the primary focus of the study, the established values of major diversity indices disclose a highly variable gene pool in the breed.