ABSTRACT
PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Expressed sequence tag (EST)-derived simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were developed in Dendrobium officinale by screening a cDNA library. The loci were verified by sequencing and explored for polymorphism among 19 genotypes and transferability among 30 other distantly related Dendrobium species. ⢠METHODS AND RESULTS: One hundred ten EST-SSRs were developed, and a set of 20 amplified two to six nucleotide repeats with a mean number of 2.5 alleles per locus and with an observed heterozygosity and polymorphism information content per locus ranging from 0.3463 to 0.9003 and 0.0997 to 0.6537 in 19 D. officinale genotypes, respectively. Furthermore, 92 of these markers have cross-taxa transferability, ranging from 6.45% to 100% among 30 other distantly related Dendrobium species. ⢠CONCLUSIONS: The developed markers have potential for application in germplasm appraisal, genetic diversity study, genetic mapping, and molecular breeding in D. officinale and other congeneric species.
