Isolation and characterization of twelve polymorphic microsatellite loci for Hypochaeris catharinensis (Asteraceae) and cross-amplification in related species.

Abstract

In this study, we describe the development and screening of an enriched genomic DNA library aiming to identify microsatellite loci in Hypochaeris catharinensis, an endemic species from southern Brazil. Twelve polymorphic microsatellite loci tested in a sample of 60 individuals from three different populations of H. catharinensis, identified 98 alleles with an average of 8.17 alleles per locus. The average polymorphic information content (PIC) varied from 0.098 to 0.757, with five loci exhibiting significant deviation from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (HWE). Transferability test for cross-amplification was done in 10 related Hypochaeris species with a rate of success ranging from 12 loci, for H. petiolaris and H. varigata, to six loci for H. patagonica. These microsatellite loci will provide valuable information for studying genetic diversity, population genetic structure, conservation biology and for understanding the past demographic events of H. catharinensis and other related species of Hypochaeris. Hypochaeris is considered as a biological model to understand evolutionary processes in the vascular flora of South America, particularly from the temperate portion of the continent. As suggested by molecular clock dating, the South American species of Hypochaeris was derived from a common ancestor from northwest Africa that arrived in the continent between 3.5 and 0.25 mya by long-distance dispersal