ARS | Publication request: Isolation and characterization of microstellite markers in the grass Poa arachnifera Torr

Submitted to: Grassland Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: February 28, 2011
Publication Date: March 31, 2011
Citation: Kindiger, B.K., Conley, T., Keith-Stanley, K., Cai, H. 2011. Isolation and characterization of microstellite markers in the grass Poa arachnifera Torr. Grassland Science. 57(3):173-178.

Interpretive Summary: The development and implementation of molecular marker based systems for marker assisted improvement in grass forages has lagged behind the rapid development of molecular markers for cereal grass species such as wheat, corn, rice, or sorghum. This is due primarily to the high cost and the time-consuming nature of marker development and the lack of emphasis placed on non-food grasses primarily utilized as livestock forage. If such molecular markers were available, they could have a direct and immediate application in grass forage studies similar to those applications used in advancing breeding improvements in human-food based cereal grass species. The development of molecular markers for species of bluegrass could provide a multitude of breeding and selection enhancements for bluegrass forage and turf. This research presents 46 new molecular markers that have wide utility across a variety of bluegrass species. The availability of these markers will allow for DNA fingerprinting, cultivar identification and marker-assisted-selection studies. The results of this study will be of value to researchers working with bluegrass.

Technical Abstract: Microsatellite markers represent a proven class of genetic markers that have wide use in a variety of plant genetic studies and exhibit several advantages when compared to other DNA-based marker systems. Because of their successful use for genetic analysis in a number of plant species, their generation and availability for use in the genus Poa (Poaceae) would be advantageous for a multitude of Poa improvement, selection or marker-assisted breeding endeavors. Few microsatellite markers are available for Poa and this lack of markers limits marker-assisted selection and breeding improvement techniques in the genus. In this study, we describe the isolation and characterization of 46 informative microsatellite primer pairs from an unenriched Poa arachnifera Torrey (Texas bluegrass) genomic library. Most of the microsatellite primer pairs amplify a single amplification product and were identified to be informative across seven additional Poa species. The availability of these microsatellite markers should serve a valuable role in the analysis and construction of genetic linkage maps and future marker assisted selection projects.