Transference of microsatellite markers from Eucalyptus spp to Acca sellowiana and the successful use of this technique in genetic characterization

Abstract

The pineapple guava (Acca sellowiana), known in portuguese as the goiabeira-serrana or "Feijoa", is a native fruit tree from southern Brazil and northern Uruguay that has commercial potential due to the quality and unique flavor of its fruits. Knowledge of genetic variability is an important tool in various steps of a breeding program, which can be facilitated by the use of molecular markers. The conservation of repeated sequences among related species permits the transferability of microsatellite markers from Eucalyptus spp. to A. sellowiana for testing. We used primers developed for Eucalyptus to characterize A. sellowiana accessions. Out of 404 primers tested, 180 amplified visible products and 38 were polymorphic. A total of 48 alleles were detected with ten Eucalyptus primer pairs against DNA from 119 A. sellowiana accessions. The mean expected heterozygosity among accessions was 0.64 and the mean observed heterozygosity 0.55. A high level of genetic diversity was also observed in the dendrogram, where the degree of genetic dissimilarity ranged from 0 to 65% among the 119 genotypes tested. This study demonstrates the possibility of transferring microsatellite markers between species of different genera in addition to evaluating the extent of genetic variability among plant accessions.

<b>Caracterização genética de populações naturais de goiabeira serrana (Acca sellowiana) com marcadores microssatélites heterólogos</b><br>DOI:10.5007/2175-7925.2011v24n4p75

“…Em trabalho, com os mesmos pares de iniciadores, à exceção de EMBRA 267, porém, de natureza distinta por envolver (119) acessos de Acca sellowiana provenientes do Banco Ativo de Germoplasma (BAG) foram encontrados 49 alelos (SANTOS et al, 2007).…”

“…O protocolo para amplifi cação a partir do uso destes iniciadores foi otimizado em estudos prévios sobre a diversidade genética existente no Banco Ativo de Germoplasma e entre cruzamentos de Acca sellowiana (SANTOS et al, 2007).…”

“…Na Itália, estes marcadores também foram utilizados para discriminar 25 acessos de cultivares de goiabeira-serrana introduzidas naquele país (DETTORI; PALOMBI 2000). Quanto aos marcadores microssatélites, a partir da transferibilidade de marcadores desenvolvidos para o gênero Eucalyptus foi possível aprimorar estimativas de variabilidade genética para A. sellowiana (SANTOS et al, 2007).…”

Microsatellite based analysis of genetic diversity of popular black pepper genotypes in South India

“…The ability to use the same SSR primers, available from public database, from different plant species, known as ''cross-transferability'', is an alternative for species with no available microsatellite markers. But this depends on the extent of conservation of the sequences in the primer binding sites flanking the microsatellite loci and also on the stability of these sequences during evolution (Dos Santos et al 2007). Our Fig.…”

Brief history of Eucalyptus breeding in Brazil under perspective of biometric advances

“…In this sense, techniques can be performed as the use of Eucalyptus spp. microsatellite (SSR), in terms of a co-dominant marker and highly polymorphic (SANTOS et al, 2007).…”