Using the 454 pyrosequencing-based technique in the development of nuclear microsatellite loci in the alpine plant Arabis alpina (Brassicaceae)

Abstract

Premise of the study: Polymorphic microsatellite markers were developed for the inbred alpine perennial plant Arabis alpine to infer life-history parameters and measure patterns of contemporary gene fl ow within populations.

Methods and results: Using the 454 pyrosequencing technique, 19 microsatellite primer sets were developed for A. alpina . The primer sets were tested on 60 individuals sampled from three sub-populations in the Swiss Alps. The primers amplifi ed di- and trinucleotide repeats with two to fi ve alleles per locus.

Conclusions: Previous attempts to isolate microsatellite loci in A. alpina using enrichment libraries and cross-amplifi cation were diffi cult and produced an insufficient number of polymorphic microsatellite loci. In contrast, next-generation sequencing technology was successful in identifying microsatellite repeats in A. alpina. These newly developed microsatellite primers will be useful to further develop A. alpina into a model species for eco-genomic studies.