Microsatellite markers for Saussurea polylepis (Asteraceae), a vulnerable continental island species endemic to Korea

PREMISE

Nuclear microsatellite markers were developed for Saussurea polylepis (Asteraceae), a vulnerable species with very limited distribution in a few southwestern continental islands of the Korean peninsula, in order to facilitate future population genetic studies.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Based on the Illumina sequence data, a total of 21 microsatellite primer pairs were designed and tested for their suitability. Nineteen of these primers, with two to 11 alleles per locus, were polymorphic in three natural populations of S. polylepis. The levels of expected and observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.000 to 0.842 and 0.000 to 0.933, respectively. Sixteen of these simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were successfully cross-amplified in five congeneric species, namely S. gracilis, S. grandifolia, and S. tanakae for all 21 loci, and S. maximowiczii and S. pulchella for 18 loci.

CONCLUSIONS

The SSR markers developed here will be useful for future population genetic studies on S. polylepis and related species.

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Saussurea polylepis (Asteraceae), a vulnerable endemic species of Korea

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Saussurea polylepis, one of vulnerable and endemic species of Korea, was determined. The genome size was 152,488 bp in length with 37.7% GC content. It included a pair of inverted repeats (IRa and IRb) of 25,191 bp, which were separated by small single copy (SSC: 18,689 bp) and large single copy (LSC: 83,417 bp) regions. The cp genome contained 113 genes, including 80 protein-coding genes, 29 tRNA genes, and four rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis of the combined 80 protein coding genes and four rRNA genes showed that S. polylepis was closely related to S. chabyoungsanica.