Abstract
Most previous studies on genetic fingerprinting and cultivar relatedness in sweet cherry were based on isoenzyme, RAPD, and simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. This study was carried out to assess the utility of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers generated from 3′ untranslated regions (UTR) for genetic fingerprinting in sweet cherry. A total of 114 sweet cherry germplasm representing advanced selections, commercial cultivars, and old cultivars imported from different parts of the world were screened with seven SSR markers developed from other Prunus species and with 40 SNPs obtained from 3′ UTR sequences of Rainier and Bing sweet cherry cultivars. Both types of marker study had 99 accessions in common. The SSR data was used to validate the SNP results. Results showed that the average number of alleles per locus, mean observed heterozygosity, expected heterozygosity, and polymorphic information content values were higher in SSRs than in SNPs although both set of markers were similar in their grouping of the sweet cherry accessions as shown in the dendrogram. SNPs were able to distinguish sport mutants from their wild type germplasm. For example, “Stella” was separated from “Compact Stella.” This demonstrates the greater power of SNPs for discriminating mutants from their original parents than SSRs. In addition, SNP markers confirmed parentage and also determined relationships of the accessions in a manner consistent with their pedigree relationships. We would recommend the use of 3′ UTR SNPs for genetic fingerprinting, parentage verification, gene mapping, and study of genetic diversity in sweet cherry.
Highlights
Sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) is an out-breeding, selfincompatible diploid species in the Rosaceae family with a genome of 2n = 16
Sexual reproduction in sweet cherry is controlled by a Gametophytic Self-Incompatibility (GSI) system and open pollinated seedlings are heavily utilized in its traditional culture, the genetic diversity in sweet cherry appears to have been minimized due to repeated use of a few founding clones as parents in breeding programmes (Choi and Kappel, 2004)
APPLICATION OF SNP_HRM FOR STUDY OF GENETIC DIVERSITY IN SWEET CHERRY Initial screening of a panel of 30 sweet cherry cultivars with 100 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers resulted in the pre-selection of 40 highly polymorphic primers for further amplification of the rest of the germplasm
Summary
Sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) is an out-breeding, selfincompatible diploid species in the Rosaceae family with a genome of 2n = 16. Active evaluation of the germplasm continued ( many breeding records were lost) which led to the release of several new sweet cherry cultivars (Oraguzie et al, 2010; Olmstead et al, 2011a,b). The rejuvenated breeding programme has acquired diverse plant materials including advanced selections, commercial varieties, and exotic germplasm which are fruiting but lack pedigree information. Information on genetic identity and relatedness is necessary to design appropriate conservation and management strategies as well as for selecting diverse individuals with desired fruit quality traits for use as breeding parents. Molecular identification using DNA markers has become the main tool for examination of genetic relationships within and between populations or individuals, mapping of useful genes, construction of genetic linkage maps, marker-assisted selection, and phylogenetic studies in crop species (Arús et al, 2005)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
