Comparison of relative efficiency of genomic SSR and EST-SSR markers in estimating genetic diversity in sugarcane

Genetic diversity assessment of cucumber landraces using molecular signatures

Genetic profiling of the biodiversity in cultivated crop plants is necessary to preserve important genes and utilize them in a breeding program. Cucumber is used as a model plant to study various characteristics of Cucurbitaceae. Its adaptation to a wide range of climatic conditions suggested analyzing the landraces. The present study was conducted to evaluate the differences, at the genetic level, among landraces spanning five continents. DNA extracted from fifty-six landraces selected from USDA germplasm bank to cover a global representative sample of world cucumber landraces was used for polymerase chain reaction using twenty-eight polymorphic expressed sequence tags simple sequence repeat (EST-SSR) markers. Twenty-eight EST-SSR markers covering all seven chromosomes yielded 98 bands with an average of 3.42 bands per marker. Polymorphic information content ranged from 0.00 (EC35) to 0.74 (EC17) with an average of 0.34. Six clusters provided an appropriate summary of the variation among the landraces, with the two largest groups including 32 (Asiatic) and 17 (European and American) landraces, respectively. Four small groups, three with two members, and one with one member (PI 525155-Egypt) were dissimilar to the two main groups. Landraces from the same region were often clustered together. Genetic similarity of the landraces was revealed by marker banding patterns. The locations of genetic diversity for cucumber landraces can be identified from this study.

Development and characterization of expressed sequence tag-simple sequence repeat markers for the near-threatened halophyte, Limonium tetragonum (Thunb.) A. A. Bullock (Plumbaginaceae)

Here, next-generation RNA sequencing analysis was performed to develop 13 novel expressed sequence tag-simple sequence repeat markers to evaluate the genetic variation in the near-threatened halophyte, Limonium tetragonum (Thunb.) A. A. Bullock. In the four populations, the total number of alleles at each locus ranged from two to seven, with an average of 3.1 and average observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.00 to 0.13 and 0.28 to 0.78, respectively. Three of thirteen loci had the same homo alleles within populations, however, different alleles among different populations. Compared to other halophytes, relatively low genetic diversity was observed in this species. Further studies are necessary to determine the population demography of L. tetragonum and clarify the cause of its low genetic diversity.

Assessing Genetic Diversity in Endangered Plant Orchidantha chinensis: Chloroplast Genome Assembly and Simple Sequence Repeat Marker-Based Evaluation

Orchidantha chinensis T. L. Wu, an endemic species in China, is listed as a key protected wild plant in Guangdong Province. However, the lack of reports on the chloroplast genome and simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers has hindered the assessment of its genetic diversity and conservation strategies. The limited number of molecular markers to assess the genetic diversity of this species, and thus develop proper conservation strategies, highlighted the urgent need to develop new ones. This study developed new SSR markers and investigated genetic variation using 96 samples of O. chinensis from seven populations. Through high-throughput sequencing, a complete chloroplast genome of 134,407 bp was assembled. A maximum-likelihood phylogenetic tree, based on the chloroplast genome, showed that O. chinensis is closely related to Ravenala madagascariensis. The study identified 52 chloroplast SSRs (cpSSRs) and 5094 expressed sequence tag SSRs (EST-SSRs) loci from the chloroplast genome and leaf transcriptome, respectively. Twenty-one polymorphic SSRs (seven cpSSRs and fourteen EST-SSRs) were selected to evaluate the genetic variation in 96 accessions across seven populations. Among these markers, one cpSSR and 11 EST-SSRs had high polymorphism information content (>0.5). Cluster, principal coordinate, and genetic structure analyses indicated that groups G1 and G6 were distinct from the other five groups. However, an analysis of molecular variance showed greater variation within groups than among groups. The genetic distance among the populations was significantly positively correlated with geographical distance. These findings provide new markers for studying the genetic variability of O. chinensis and offer a theoretical foundation for its conservation strategies.

Comparing genetic differentiation and variation using ISSR and SCoT among Juniper plant markers in Saudi Arabia

Juniperus, a genus of fragrant evergreen trees in the Cupressaceae family, encompasses up to 67 distinct species distributed globally. Among these, Juniperus procera, also known as the East African pencil cedar or African Juniper, stands out for its notable medicinal properties. Due to the well-recognized therapeutic benefits of Juniper species, assessing genetic diversity is essential for various breeding initiatives. Thus, in this work, six ISSR and six SCoT primers were utilized to evaluate the genetic diversity between 23 Juniper genotypes collected from different locations in Saudi Arabia. 29 out of 103 and 26 out of 105 amplified bands, respectively, were found to be polymorphic markers using the ISSR and SCoT studies. With the help of 120 genotype-specific markers, including 60 for ISSR and 60 for SCoT, several varieties of Juniper were discovered. In addition, the polymorphism information content (PIC) was computed to assess the effectiveness of the markers. The findings of this study highlight the importance of conserving the genetic diversity of Juniperus procera, as it holds immense potential for developing new medicinal products. Additionally, the results provide valuable insights into the genetic structure of Juniper populations in western Saudi Arabia, which can inform future conservation and management efforts. However, all of the techniques utilized to profile the genotypes of Juniper can be regarded as useful techniques for long-term fingerprinting and diagnostic markers.

Tolerance evaluation and genetic relationship analysis among some economically important chestnut cultivars in Türkiye using drought-associated SSR and EST-SSR markers

The aim of this study was to evaluate drought tolerance and genetic relationships among some important chestnut cultivars for Türkiye by using drought-related genomic simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers and genic expressed sequence tag-simple sequence repeat (EST-SSR) markers. Using five SSR markers, the average number of alleles (avNa), mean heterozygosity (Havp) and polymorphism information content (PIC) were determined to be 9.22, 0.395 and 0.375, respectively. In addition, using eight EST-SSR markers, the values of avNa, Havp and PIC were determined to be 7.75, 0.309 and 0.262, respectively. All microsatellite markers used in this study showed 100% polymorphism among chestnut cultivars. In UPGMA dendrograms obtained with both SSR and EST-SSR markers, the Erfelek and Hacıömer chestnut cultivars were determined to be the most similar cultivars. Some assessments are discussed regarding drought tolerance for specific alleles obtained from the EST-SSR markers GOT045, GOT021, GOT004, FIR094 and VIT033 in chestnut cultivars. Some preliminary results regarding drought tolerance in chestnut cultivars were obtained in our study with the help of these markers. Our study also characterized the genetic relationships among chestnut cultivars of great importance using drought-related character-specific markers.

De novo assembly of Iron-Heart Cunninghamia lanceolata transcriptome and EST-SSR marker development for genetic diversity analysis

Iron-Heart Cunninghamia lanceolata, a wild relative of Chinese fir with valuable genetic and breeding traits, has been limited in genetic studies due to a lack of genomic resources and markers. In this study, we conducted transcriptome sequencing of Iron-Heart C. lanceolata leaves using Illumina NovaSeq 6000 and performed assembly and analysis. We obtained 45,326,576 clean reads and 115,501 unigenes. Comparative analysis in five functional databases resulted in successful annotation of 26,278 unigenes, with 6,693 unigenes annotated in all databases (5.79% of the total). UniProt and Pfam databases provided annotations for 22,673 and 18,315 unigenes, respectively. Gene Ontology analysis categorized 23,962 unigenes into three categories. KEGG database alignment annotated 10,195 unigenes, classifying them into five categories: metabolism, genetic information, biological systems, cellular processes, and environmental information processing. From the unigenes, we identified 5,645 SSRs, with dinucleotides repeats being the most common (41.47%). We observed variations in repeat numbers and base compositions, with the majority of markers ranging from 12 to 29 bp in length. We randomly selected 200 primer pairs and successfully amplified 15 pairs of polymorphic SSR primers, which effectively distinguished Chinese fir plants of different origins. This study provides insights into the genetic characteristics of Iron-Heart C. lanceolata and offers a foundation for future molecular marker development, breeding programs, genetic diversity analysis, and conservation strategies.

Simple Sequence Repeat Fingerprint Identification of Essential-Oil-Bearing Rosa rugosa via High-Resolution Melting (HRM) Analysis

Oil-bearing Rosa rugosa are popular in the essential oil and perfume markets. The similar botanical characteristics between high-oil-yield or low-oil-yield cultivars are confusing and it is hard for farmers or breeders to identify the high-oil-yield cultivar by phenotype difference. High-resolution melting (HRM) analysis of simple sequence repeats (SSRs) can construct accurate DNA fingerprints quickly, which was shown to be effective for identification of closely related cultivars of R. rugosa. Optimization of HRM-SSR indicated that the 10 µL HRM reaction mixture containing 20 ng of genomic DNA of R. rugosa and 0.75 µL of 10 µmol/L of each primer with an annealing temperature of 64 °C was a robust SSR genotyping protocol. Using this protocol, 9 polymorphic SSR markers with 3-9 genotypes among the 19 R. rugosa cultivars were identified. The top three polymorphic makers SSR9, SSR12 and SSR19 constructed a fingerprint of all cultivars, and the rare insertion in the flanking sequences of the repeat motif of SSR19 generated three characteristic genotypes of three high-oil-yield cultivars. These results may be economical and practical for the identification of high-oil-yield R. rugosa and be helpful for the selection and breeding of oil-bearing roses.

A Set of Highly Polymorphic Microsatellite Markers for Genetic Diversity Studies in the Genus Origanum

This study reports the development of a set of 20 highly polymorphic genomic SSR markers which can be used for both cultivar identification and genetic diversity studies in several Origanum species, including some of the most popular ones like Greek oregano (Origanum vulgare L. ssp. hirtum), common oregano (O. vulgare L. ssp. vulgare), and sweet marjoram (O. majorana L.). Analysis of the polymorphic information content (PIC) showed an average PIC value of 0.75 with a minimum of 0.41 and a maximum of 0.89, where 17 of the markers showed PIC values above 0.73. Comparative analysis of the genetic diversity of eight natural populations of Greek oregano in Bulgaria showed that six of the genomic SSR markers revealed significantly higher portions of genetic diversity in the populations, compared to 12 EST SSR markers used in our previous study. We also compared the performance of the same six genomic SSR markers with the results for eight SRAP primer combinations, which showed that SRAP markers captured more precisely the genetic structure in natural populations. The developed highly polymorphic genomic SSR markers can be successfully applied to evaluation of the genetic diversity in the genus Origanum, based on the expected and observed heterozygosity in the populations as well as for easy identification of breeding lines and cultivars based on unique SSR fingerprints.

Evaluation of a Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) Hybrid F1 Population Phenotypic Diversity and Construction of a Rapid Sucrose Yield Estimation Model for Breeding

Sugarcane is the major sugar-producing crop worldwide, and hybrid F₁ populations are the primary populations used in breeding. Challenged by the sugarcane genome's complexity and the sucrose yield's quantitative nature, phenotypic selection is still the most commonly used approach for high-sucrose yield sugarcane breeding. In this study, a hybrid F₁ population containing 135 hybrids was constructed and evaluated for 11 traits (sucrose yield (SY) and its related traits) in a randomized complete-block design during two consecutive growing seasons. The results revealed that all the traits exhibited distinct variation, with the coefficient of variation (CV) ranging from 0.09 to 0.35, the Shannon-Wiener diversity index (H') ranging between 2.64 and 2.98, and the broad-sense heritability ranging from 0.75 to 0.84. Correlation analysis revealed complex correlations between the traits, with 30 trait pairs being significantly correlated. Eight traits, including stalk number (SN), stalk diameter (SD), internode length (IL), stalk height (SH), stalk weight (SW), Brix (B), sucrose content (SC), and yield (Y), were significantly positively correlated with sucrose yield (SY). Cluster analysis based on the 11 traits divided the 135 F₁ hybrids into three groups, with 55 hybrids in Group I, 69 hybrids in Group II, and 11 hybrids in Group III. The principal component analysis indicated that the values of the first four major components' vectors were greater than 1 and the cumulative contribution rate reached 80.93%. Based on the main component values of all samples, 24 F₁ genotypes had greater values than the high-yielding parent 'ROC22' and were selected for the next breeding stage. A rapid sucrose yield estimation equation was established using four easily measured sucrose yield-related traits through multivariable linear stepwise regression. The model was subsequently confirmed using 26 sugarcane cultivars and 24 F₁ hybrids. This study concludes that the sugarcane F₁ population holds great genetic diversity in sucrose yield-related traits. The sucrose yield estimation model, ySY=2.01xSN+8.32xSD+0.79xB+3.44xSH-47.64, can aid to breed sugarcane varieties with high sucrose yield.

Molecular Characterization of Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) Miers Using Novel g-SSR Markers and Their Comparison with EST-SSR and SCoT Markers for Genetic Diversity Study

In the present study, novel genomic-SSR (g-SSR) markers generated in our laboratory were used to characterize Tinospora cordifolia and related species. The g-SSR marker was also compared with EST-SSR and SCoT markers used earlier in our laboratory to assess the genetic diversity of T. cordifolia. A total of 26 accessions of T. cordifolia and 1 accession each of Tinospora rumphii and Tinospora sinensis were characterized using 65 novel g-SSR markers. A total of 125 alleles were detected with 49 polymorphic g-SSR markers. The number of alleles per locus varied from 1-4 with a mean value of 2.55 alleles per locus. Mean PIC, gene diversity, and heterozygosity were estimated to be 0.33, 0.41, and 0.65, respectively. The two species, namely T. rumphii and T. sinensis, showed cross-species transferability of g-SSRs developed in T. cordifolia. The success rate of cross-species transferability in T. rumphii was 95.3% and 93.8% in T. sinensis, proving the usefulness of this marker in genetic diversity studies of related species. The Tinospora accessions were also used for molecular characterization using SCoT and EST-SSR markers and compared for genetic diversity and cross-species transferability. The PIC, gene diversity, heterozygosity, and principal coordinate analysis showed that g-SSR is the better maker for a genetic diversity study of T. cordifolia. Additionally, high cross-species transferability of g-SSRs was found (95.3% and 93.8%) compared to EST-SSRs (68.8% and 67.7%) in T. rumphii and T. sinensis, respectively.

An overview of remote monitoring methods in biodiversity conservation

Conservation of biodiversity is critical for the coexistence of humans and the sustenance of other living organisms within the ecosystem. Identification and prioritization of specific regions to be conserved are impossible without proper information about the sites. Advanced monitoring agencies like the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) had accredited that the sum total of species that are now threatened with extinction is higher than ever before in the past and are progressing toward extinct at an alarming rate. Besides this, the conceptualized global responses to these crises are still inadequate and entail drastic changes. Therefore, more sophisticated monitoring and conservation techniques are required which can simultaneously cover a larger surface area within a stipulated time frame and gather a large pool of data. Hence, this study is an overview of remote monitoring methods in biodiversity conservation via a survey of evidence-based reviews and related studies, wherein the description of the application of some technology for biodiversity conservation and monitoring is highlighted. Finally, the paper also describes various transformative smart technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and/or machine learning algorithms for enhanced working efficiency of currently available techniques that will aid remote monitoring methods in biodiversity conservation.

Gene flow between wild trees and cultivated varieties shapes the genetic structure of sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) populations

Gene flow between cultivated and wild gene pools is common in the contact zone between agricultural lands and natural habitats and can be used to study the development of adaptations and selection of novel varieties. This is likely the case in the northern Adriatic region, where centuries-old cultivated orchards of sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) are planted within the natural distribution area of the species. Thus, we investigated the population structure of several orchards of sweet chestnuts. Furthermore, the genetic background of three toponymous clonal varieties was explored. Six genomic simple sequence repeat (gSSR) and nine EST-derived SSR (EST-SSR) loci were utilized in this research, and both grafted and non-grafted individuals were included in this study. Five closely related clones were identified, which represent a singular, polyclonal marron variety, found in all three cultivation areas. Furthermore, many hybrids, a result of breeding between cultivated and wild chestnuts, have been found. Analyzed semi-wild orchards defined by a diverse genetic structure, represent a hotspot for further selection and could result in creation of locally adapted, high-yielding varieties.

Analysis of the genetic diversity and population structure of Monochasma savatieri Franch. ex Maxim using novel EST-SSR markers

Background

Monochasma savatieri Franch. ex Maxim is a medicinally valuable herb. However, the collection and protection of the wild germplasm resources of M. savatieri are still insufficient, and their genetic diversity and population structure have been poorly studied.

Results

We collected and examined 46 M. savatieri individuals from Fujian, Hunan, Jiangxi, and Zhejiang provinces for genetic diversity and population structure, using 33 newly developed expressed sequence tag-simple sequence repeat (EST-SSR) markers. Applying these markers, we detected a total of 208 alleles, with an average of 6.303 alleles per locus. The polymorphic information content varied from 0.138 to 0.884 (average: 0.668), indicating a high level of polymorphism. At the population level, there was a low degree of genetic diversity among populations (I = 0.535, He = 0.342), with Zhejiang individuals showing the highest genetic diversity among the four populations (Fst = 0.497), which indicated little gene flow within the M. savatieri populations (Nm = 0.253). Mantel test analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between geographical and genetic distance among populations (R² = 0.3304, p < 0.05), and structure and principal coordinate analyses supported classification of populations into three clusters, which was consistent with the findings of cluster analysis.

Conclusions

As a rare medicinal plants, the protection of M. savatieri does not look optimistic, and accordingly, protective efforts should be beefed up on the natural wild populations. This study provided novel tools and insights for designing effective collection and conservation strategies for M. savatieri.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12864-022-08832-x.

The complete chloroplast genome of critically endangered Chimonobambusa hirtinoda (Poaceae: Chimonobambusa) and phylogenetic analysis

Chimonobambusa hirtinoda, a threatened species, is only naturally distributed in Doupeng Mountain, Duyun, Guizhou, China. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is used to obtain the complete chloroplast (cp) genome sequence of C. hirtinoda. The sequence was assembled and analyzed for phylogenetic and evolutionary studies. Additionally, we compared the cp genome of C. hirtinoda with previously published Chimonobambusa species. The cp genome of C. hirtinoda has a total length of 139, 561 bp and 38.90% GC content. This genome included a large single -copy (LSC) region of 83, 166 bp, a small single-copy (SSC) region of 20, 811 bp and a pair of inverted repeats of 21,792 bp each. We discovered 130 genes in the cp genome, including 85 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA, and 8 rRNA genes. A total of 48 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were detected. The A/U preference of the third nucleotide in the cp genome of C. hirtinoda was obtained by measuring the codon usage frequency of amino acids. Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis using complete cp sequences and matK gene revealed a genetic relationship within the Chimonobambusa genus. This study reported the chloroplast genome of the C. hirtinoda.

Genetic Diversity Analysis of Sapindus in China and Extraction of a Core Germplasm Collection Using EST-SSR Markers

Sapindus is an important forest tree genus with utilization in biodiesel, biomedicine, and it harbors great potential for biochemical engineering applications. For advanced breeding of Sapindus, it is necessary to evaluate the genetic diversity and construct a rationally designed core germplasm collection. In this study, the genetic diversity and population structure of Sapindus were conducted with 18 expressed sequence tag-simple sequence repeat (EST-SSR) markers in order to establish a core germplasm collection from 161 Sapindus accessions. The population of Sapindus showed high genetic diversity and significant population structure. Interspecific genetic variation was significantly higher than intraspecific variation in the Sapindus mukorossi, Sapindus delavayi, and combined Sapindus rarak plus Sapindus rarak var. velutinus populations. S. mukorossi had abundant genetic variation and showed a specific pattern of geographical variation, whereas S. delavayi, S. rarak, and S. rarak var. velutinus showed less intraspecific variation. A core germplasm collection was created that contained 40% of genetic variation in the initial population, comprising 53 S. mukorossi and nine S. delavayi lineages, as well as single representatives of S. rarak and S. rarak var. velutinus. These results provide a germplasm basis and theoretical rationale for the efficient management, conservation, and utilization of Sapindus, as well as genetic resources for joint genomics research in the future.

Identification of potential MTAs and candidate genes for juice quality- and yield-related traits in Saccharum clones: a genome-wide association and comparative genomic study

Sugarcane is an economically important commercial crop which provides raw material for the production of sugar, jaggery, bioethanol, biomass and other by-products. Sugarcane breeding till today heavily relies on conventional breeding approaches which is time consuming, laborious and costly. Integration of marker-assisted selection (MAS) in sugarcane genetic improvement programs for difficult to select traits like sucrose content, resistance to pests and diseases and tolerance to abiotic stresses will accelerate varietal development. In the present study, association mapping approach was used to identify QTLs and genes associated with sucrose and other important yield-contributing traits. A mapping panel of 110 diverse sugarcane genotypes and 148 microsatellite primers were used for structured association mapping study. An optimal subpopulation number (ΔK) of 5 was identified by structure analysis. GWAS analysis using TASSEL identified a total of 110 MTAs which were localized into 27 QTLs by GLM and MLM (Q + K, PC + K) approaches. Among the 24 QTLs sequenced, 12 were able to identify potential candidate genes, viz., starch branching enzyme, starch synthase 4, sugar transporters and G3P-DH related to carbohydrate metabolism and hormone pathway-related genes ethylene insensitive 3-like 1, reversion to ethylene sensitive1-like, and auxin response factor associated to juice quality- and yield-related traits. Six markers, NKS 5_185, SCB 270_144, SCB 370_256, NKS 46_176 and UGSM 648_245, associated with juice quality traits and marker SMC31CUQ_304 associated with NMC were validated and identified as significantly associated to the traits by one-way ANOVA analysis. In conclusion, 24 potential QTLs identified in the present study could be used in sugarcane breeding programs after further validation in larger population. The candidate genes from carbohydrate and hormone response pathway presented in this study could be manipulated with genome editing approaches to further improve sugarcane crop.

Genetic and Flower Volatile Diversity in Natural Populations of Origanum vulgare subsp. hirtum (Link) Ietsw. in Bulgaria: Toward the Development of a Core Collection

We studied the genetic and flower volatile diversity in natural populations of Origanum vulgare subsp. hirtum (Link) Ietsw. in Bulgaria using simple sequence repeat (SSR) and sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) markers and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis of flower volatiles from individual plants. Two regions, including the Kresna Gorge and Eastern Rhodopes, typical for the species comprising eight populations and 239 individual plants were included in this study. An analysis with 11 SSR markers and eight SRAP primer combinations showed that SRAP markers were substantially more informative than the SSR markers and were further used for genetic diversity analysis. The results showed low-range to mid-range genetic differentiation between the populations with pairwise fixation index (Fst) values ranging between 0.0047 and 0.11. A total of 10 genetic clusters were identified. An analysis of the flower volatile diversity identified a total of 63 compounds with the vast majority of plants belonging to the carvacrol chemotype and just a single plant to the thymol chemotype. Large deviations were observed for individual compounds within each region as well as within the populations. Hierarchical clustering showed a clear sample grouping based on the two different regions. In addition, an in-depth analysis identified six major and 23 minor metabolite clusters. The overall data set and cluster analysis were further used for the development and testing of a simple and straightforward strategy for the selection of individual plants for the development of a core collection representing the sampled natural populations for this species in Bulgaria. The proposed strategy involves precise genetic clustering of the tested plants followed by the selection of a minimal set from each genetic cluster representing the different metabolite clusters. The selected core set was further compared with a core set extracted by the PowerCore software. A comparison of the genetic and metabolic affiliation of the members of both sets showed that the reported approach selected representatives from each genetic cluster and minor metabolic cluster, whereas some metabolic clusters were unrepresented in the PowerCore set. The feasibility and efficiency of applying the pointed strategy for the development of a core collection representing both the genetic and metabolite diversity of natural populations in aromatic and medicinal plants toward subsequent steps of selection and breeding are discussed.

Assessment of genetic diversity in Amomum tsao-ko Crevost & Lemarié, an important medicine food homologous crop from Southwest China using SRAP and ISSR markers

Amomum tsao-ko Crevost & Lemarié is an important crop that has been widely used in traditional Chinese medicine and daily diets for a long time. In this study, the genetic diversity and relationships of eight cultivated populations of A. tsao-ko grown in Southwest China were examined using sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) and inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers. The results showed that 139 (99.29%) of 140 and 185 (99.46%) of 186 bands were polymorphic by SRAP and ISSR primers amplification, respectively. The polymorphic information content of detected bands were 0.270 (SRAP) and 0.232 (ISSR), respectively. The average Nei's gene diversity (H = 0.217) and Shannon's information index (I = 0.348) at the species level generated by SRAP primer were higher than those by ISSR analysis (H = 0.158, I = 0.272). Genetic differentiation coefficients and molecular variance analysis (AMOVA) indicated that the genetic variance of A. tsao-ko mainly occurred within populations rather than among populations. The high genetic identity among populations was revealed by SRAP (0.937) and ISSR (0.963). Using UPGMA cluster analysis, principal coordinate analysis, and population structure analysis, the accessions were categorized into two major groups. Overall, results obtained here will be useful for A. tsao-ko germplasm characterization, conservation, and utilization.

Development of EST-SSRs from the ark shell (Scapharca broughtonii) transcriptome and their application in genetic analysis of four populations

BACKGROUND

The ark shell (Scapharca broughtonii) is one of the most economically important mollusks in the Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea of China. In recent years, ark shells from the Korean population were introduced to China for seed propagation and culture.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the impact of the introduction of Korean ark shell on the genetic diversity of native population in China.

METHODS

Simple sequence repeat (SSR) is effective and widely used tool for genetic analysis. In this study, 180 EST-SSRs were selected and verified by polymerase chain reaction and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Subsequently, five polymorphic EST-SSRs were screened and their primers were modified by fluorescein for use in the genetic analysis of four populations.

RESULTS

Genetic analysis showed that 361 alleles amplified by five SSR loci were detected in the four populations. The number of alleles for the five SSRs ranged from 8 to 30, with a mean of 18.05 (standard deviation, SD = 6.492). The effective number of alleles varied from 2.253 to 22.222, with a mean of 10.596 (SD = 4.713). Observed heterozygosity and expected heterozygosity were 0.167-0.833 and 0.566-0.971, with average values of 0.520 (SD = 0.177) and 0.891 (SD = 0.062), respectively. Polymorphic information content ranged from 0.521 to 0.953, with a mean of 0.865 (SD = 0.070). The pairwise genetic differentiation coefficient (F_ST) of the four populations ranged from 0.0267 to 0.0477, showing low genetic differentiation. The phylogenetic tree constructed by neighbor-joining method showed that the genetic distance between the Chinese Dalian native population and three Korean populations was relatively more far than that among those Korean populations.

CONCLUSION

The results indicated that the genetic structure of the Dalian wild population was less affected by the introduced Korean wild populations.

Comparative analysis of genomic- and EST-SSRs in European plum (Prunus domestica L.): implications for the diversity analysis of polyploids

Simple sequence repeats (SSRs) are among the most useful DNA markers in plant science. The aim of this study was to compare the features and usefulness of genomic SSR (gSSR) and EST-SSRs in European plum (Prunus domestica L.), an economically important, hexaploid stone fruit crop globally cultivated to produce fleshy fruits and derived foodstuff. The analysis of an ample set of morphologically diverse varieties indicated that gSSRs and EST-SSRs provide different estimates of some of the locus-based indicators of diversity. Moreover, the two classes of SSRs gave different, weakly correlated, estimations of distance-based parameters with gSSRs being more powerful for discriminating purposes. The two SSR classes provide complementary information in European plum, making the contribution of EST-SSRs useful not only as non-neutral markers. The differences between SSR classes are discussed considering the neutral and non-neutral evolution, and the polyploidy and asexual propagation of the cultivated tree varieties.

Development of novel g-SSR markers in guava (Psidium guajava L.) cv. Allahabad Safeda and their application in genetic diversity, population structure and cross species transferability studies

Dearth of genomic resources particularly, microsatellite markers in nutritionally and commercially important fruit crop, guava necessitate the development of the novel genomic SSR markers through the library enrichment techniques. Three types of 3' -biotinylated oligonucleotide probes [(CT)14, (GT)12, and (AAC)8] were used to develop microsatellite enriched libraries. A total of 153 transformed colonies were screened of which 111 positive colonies were subjected for Sanger sequencing. The clones having more than five motif repeats were selected for primer designing and a total of 38 novel genomic simple sequence repeats could be identified. The g-SSRs had the motif groups ranging from monomer to pentamer out of which dimer group occurred the most (89.47%). Out of 38 g-SSRs markers developed, 26 were found polymorphic, which showed substantial genetic diversity among the guava genotypes including wild species. The average number of alleles per locus, major allele frequency, gene diversity, expected heterozygosity and polymorphic information content of 26 SSRs were 3.46, 0.56, 0.53, 0.29 and 0.46, respectively. The rate of cross-species transferability of the developed g-SSR loci varied from 38.46 to 80.77% among the studied wild Psidium species. Generation of N-J tree based on 26 SSRs grouped the 40 guava genotypes into six clades with two out-groups, the wild guava species showed genetic distinctness from cultivated genotypes. Furthermore, population structure analysis grouped the guava genotypes into three genetic groups, which were partly supported by PCoA and N-J tree. Further, AMOVA and PCoA deciphered high genetic diversity among the present set of guava genotypes including wild species. Thus, the developed novel g-SSRs were found efficient and informative for diversity and population structure analyses of the guava genotypes. These developed novel g-SSR loci would add to the new genomic resource in guava, which may be utilized in genomic-assisted guava breeding.

Evaluation of genetic diversity and construction of DNA fingerprinting in Polygonatum Mill. based on EST-SSR and SRAP molecular markers

Polygonatum sibiricum is widely consumed as a traditional Chinese herb and edible plant in China. Despite its nutritional and medical values, research on Polygonatum Mill. has been scarce, particularly as far as its genetic diversity is concerned. In this study, fourteen expressed sequence tag-derived simple sequence repeat (EST-SSR) and seven sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) markers were used to evaluate the genetic diversity in fifty Polygonatum Mill. accessions. The EST-SSRs and SRAPs produced 173 (90.58%) and 113 (93.39%) polymorphic bands, respectively. Unweighted Pair-Group Method Analysis (UPGMA) based on the combined data matrices of EST-SSRs and SRAPs divided the fifty Polygonatum Mill. accessions into fourteen groups. In addition, accessions of P. cyrtonema Hua obtained from Anhui and Zhejiang provinces were clustered according to their geographic origin. Furthermore, some accessions were gathered together based on species, such as P. kingianum Coll. et Hemsl, P. punctatum Royle ex Kunth, P. odoratum (Mill.) Druce, and P. sibiricum Red., and bootstrap analysis for clustering fully supported the grouping of the accessions. The Analysis of Molecular Variance (AMOVA) results revealed higher variation within populations (95%) rather than among populations (5%), indicating that Polygonatum Mill. has a low genetic differentiation between populations, and Principal Coordinate Analysis (PCoA) greatly supported the results of cluster analysis and AMOVA analysis. Finally, five markers which could produce abundant and stable bands were used to construct DNA fingerprinting database of Polygonatum Mill.. Our results demonstrated the utility of both EST-SSR and SRAP markers to successfully evaluate and identify Polygonatum Mill..

Association mapping for yield traits in Paeonia rockii based on SSR markers within transcription factors of comparative transcriptome

BACKGROUND

Allelic variation underlying the quantitative traits in plants is caused by the extremely complex regulation process. Tree peony originated in China is a peculiar ornamental, medicinal and oil woody plant. Paeonia rockii, one of tree peony species, is a precious emerging woody oil crop. However, in this valuable plant, the study of functional loci associated with yield traits has rarely been identified. Therefore, to explore the genetic architecture of 24 yield quantitative traits, the association mapping was first reported in 420 unrelated cultivated P. rockii individuals based on the next-generation sequencing (NGS) and single-molecule long-read sequencing (SMLRS).

RESULTS

The developed 58 pairs of polymorphic expressed sequence tag-simple sequence repeat (EST-SSR) markers from 959 candidate transcription factors (TFs) associated with yield were used for genotyping the 420 P. rockii accessions. We observed a high level of genetic diversity (polymorphic information content, PIC = 0.514) and low linkage disequilibrium (LD) between EST-SSRs. Moreover, four subpopulations in the association population were revealed by STRUCTURE analyses. Further, single-marker association analysis identified 141 significant associations, involving 17 quantitative traits and 41 EST-SSRs. These loci were mainly from AP2, TCP, MYB, HSF, bHLH, GATA, and B3 gene families and showed a small proportion of the phenotypic variance (3.79 to 37.45%).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results summarize a valuable collection of functional loci associated with yield traits in P. rockii, and provide a precious resource that reveals allelic variation underlying quantitative traits in Paeonia and other woody oil crops.

Molecular diversity and genetic structure of Saccharum complex accessions

Sugarcane is an important crop for food and energy security, providing sucrose and bioethanol from sugar content and bioelectricity from lignocellulosic bagasse. In order to evaluate the diversity and genetic structure of the Brazilian Panel of Sugarcane Genotypes (BPSG), a core collection composed by 254 accessions of the Saccharum complex, eight TRAP markers anchored in sucrose and lignin metabolism genes were evaluated. A total of 584 polymorphic fragments were identified and used to investigate the genetic structure of BPSG through analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA), principal components analysis (PCA), a Bayesian method using STRUCTURE software, genetic dissimilarity and phylogenetic tree. AMOVA showed a moderate genetic differentiation between ancestors and improved accessions, 0.14, and the molecular variance was higher within populations than among populations, with values of 86%, 95% and 97% when constrasting improved with ancestors, foreign with ancestors and improved with foreign, respectively. The PCA approach suggests clustering in according with evolutionary and Brazilian breeding sugarcane history, since improved accessions from older generations were positioned closer to ancestors than improved accessions from recent generations. This result was also confirmed by STRUCTURE analysis and phylogenetic tree. The Bayesian method was able to separate ancestors of the improved accessions while the phylogenetic tree showed clusters considering the family relatedness within three major clades; the first being composed mainly by ancestors and the other two mainly by improved accessions. This work can contribute to better management of the crosses considering functional regions of the sugarcane genome.

Evaluation of 19 short tandem repeat markers for individualization of Papaver somniferum

Papaver somniferum, commonly known as opium poppy, is the source of natural opiates, which are used as analgesics or as precursors in the creation of semi-synthetic opioids such as heroin. An increase in opioid addiction in the United States has resulted in high rates of illicit opioid use and overdoses. It has recently been shown that P. somniferum DNA suitable for genetic analysis can be recovered from heroin samples. The development of a comprehensive genetic individualization tool for opium poppy could serve to link cases and strengthen programs such as the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) Heroin Signature Program, which seeks to combat rising opioid use. The purpose of this study was to develop a quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) method for the quantification of opium poppy DNA, compare three commercial DNA extraction kits for their ability to isolate DNA from poppy seeds, and evaluate nineteen opium poppy short tandem repeat (STR) markers for their use in a forensic identification panel. Such a panel could be used for individualizing samples and determining the geographic origin in heroin or poppy seed tea cases. The qPCR method was proven to be reproducible and reliable, specific for P. somniferum, and sensitive enough for forensic case-type samples. Of the three kits tested, the nexttec™ one-step DNA Isolation Kit for Plants was the optimal method and facilitated rapid extraction of DNA from poppy seeds. The majority of evaluated STR primer sets were unreliable or had low discriminatory power, limiting their use for individualization of poppy samples. A six-locus STR multiplex was developed and evaluated according to Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods (SWGDAM) and International Society of Forensic Genetics (ISFG) guidelines, including the use of a sequenced allelic ladder. The multiplex was found to have low discriminatory power, with greater than two-thirds of samples analyzed having just two different genotypes. The multiplex was determined to be unsuitable for individualization; however, a genotype map was developed as a proof of concept that these markers may be useful for determining the biogeographical origin of samples. Searching the poppy genome for new STR markers and developing new primer sets may be necessary for the creation of a powerful genetic tool for the individualization of P. somniferum.

A High-Density EST-SSR-Based Genetic Map and QTL Analysis of Dwarf Trait in Cucurbita pepo L

As one of the earliest domesticated species, Cucurbita pepo (including squash and pumpkin) is rich in phenotypic polymorphism and has huge economic value. In this research, using 1660 expressed sequence tags-simple sequence repeats (EST-SSRs) and 632 genomic simple sequence repeats (gSSRs), we constructed the highest-density EST-SSR-based genetic map in Cucurbita genus, which spanned 2199.1 cM in total and harbored 623 loci distributed in 20 linkage groups. Using this map as a bridge, the two previous gSSR maps were integrated by common gSSRs and the corresponding relationships around chromosomes in three sets of genomes were also collated. Meanwhile, one large segmental inversion that existed between our map and the C. pepo genome was detected. Furthermore, three Quantitative Trait Loci (QTLs) of the dwarf trait (gibberellin-sensitive dwarf type) in C. pepo were located, and the candidate region that covered the major QTL spanned 1.39 Mb, which harbored a predicted gibberellin 2-β-oxidase gene. Considering the rich phenotypic polymorphism, the important economic value in the Cucurbita genus species and several advantages of the SSR marker were identified; thus, this high-density EST-SSR-based genetic map will be useful in Pumpkin and Squash breeding work in the future.