The same but different: Monomorphic microsatellite markers as a new tool for genetic analysis

Abstract

The nucleotide variation at a microsatellite locus lacking length polymorphisms among its alleles was assessed to generate an informative tool for genetic analysis. From a set of microsatellite markers, a monomorphic microsatellite locus developed for the palm species Butia eriospatha was used to elucidate whether there are polymorphic sites in its flanking regions. DNA sequences ≈133 bp long were obtained. Aligned sequences show variation at 17 polymorphic sites with both insertions and nucleotide substitutions. Fourteen distinct sequences (alleles) among 22 individuals were identified. The percent sequence difference varied from 0.0 to 5%, indicating that there is significant variation among sequences. Due to significant levels of information and sequence diversity on a simple sequence repeat (SSR) locus of identical size, our study highlights that this molecular marker class can be a useful tool for population genetics and evolutionary studies for many plant species.