ARS | Publication request: Screening and characterization of eleven novel microsatellite markers from Viburnum dilatatum

Submitted to: HortScience
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: September 2, 2011
Publication Date: November 1, 2011
Citation: Dean, D., Wadl, P.A., Trigiano, R., Wang, X., Klingeman, W., Ownley, B.H., Rinehart, T.A., Scheffler, B.E. 2011. Screening and characterization of eleven novel microsatellite markers from Viburnum dilatatum. HortScience. 46(11):1456-1459.

Interpretive Summary: The genus Viburnum consists of over 160 species of shrubs and small trees, and is the largest genus within Adoxaceae with species distributed throughout the Northern hemisphere and a few into the Southern hemisphere (Winkworth and Donoghue, 2004). Viburnum species are plants with ideal year- round ornamental qualities. The attractive flowers and glossy green leaves of spring and summer give way to vibrant foliage and an array of bright berries in the fall with colors ranging from yellow to red to dark purple. This multi-seasonal allure makes the genus a popular ornamental plant and as a result, it is an important crop in the United States (U.S.) nursery industry and demand for these shrubs continues to increase. We expect that the set of microsatellite markers described here will be useful for DNA fingerprinting of cultivars, marker assisted selection, population genetics, gene mapping and the identification of invasive Viburnum species. This set of molecular data assist in the refinement of the current sections within Viburnum. We are hopeful that our set of genetic markers may be a valuable asset used to clarify and identify species and hybrids of this vast genus.

Technical Abstract: Viburnum dilatatum is a popular and economically important ornamental shrub. The wide range of desirable traits and the propensity to become invasive have created interest in the genetics and breeding of this species. To investigate the genetic diversity of V. dilatatum, microsatellite loci were identified from a CA- enriched genomic library constructed from V. dilatatum ‘Asian Beauty.’ Eleven microsatellite loci have been characterized on a group of sixteen different V. dilatatum specimens. Two- to- twelve alleles were identified per locus, and the polymorphism information content (PIC) values were 0.36-0.87. These loci had expected heterozygosity (He) values of 0.48-0.88 and observed heterozygosity (Ho) values of 0- 0.73. This set of molecular markers exhibited high cross transferability between various hybrids. These markers will be helpful in breeding new cultivars, assisting in the early detection of plants that have escaped cultivation, and possibly refining the phylogenetic relationship of V. dilatatum to the other species and genera within Adoxaceae.