Transferability of Microsatellites from Psidium guajava to Eugenia, Myrciaria, Campomanesia, and Syzygium Species (Myrtaceae)

Abstract

Myrtaceae has many fruit-bearing species of economic and ecological relevance worldwide, but with microsatellite molecular markers (simple sequence repeats, SSR) available for only few of them. Thus, the transferability of SSR is advantageous for characterization, conservation, and breeding of these species. In this work, 158 SSR from Psidium guajava were evaluated for transferability in 18 fruit trees of the genera Eugenia, Campomanesia, Myrciaria, and Syzygium. Of those, 152 SSR transferred to at least 1 and up to 16 species; 47 SSR amplified in more than 10 species, the most conserved; and 13 SSR transferred to 1 or 2 species, demonstrating specificity. A large number of conserved SSR are also present in the genetic map of P. guajava, and may be helpful for synteny and comparative genomic studies. The average of transferability was lower for Syzygium and similar in the other genera. Transferability in the species varied from 20 SSR for Syzygium cumini to 91 for Myrciaria sp.2, being higher on average in the genus Eugenia. Clustering based on the pattern of transferability between species revealed two groups, one composed by Eugenia and Campomanesia and another by Syzygium and Myrciaria, which indicates conserved microsatellite regions within and between genera. This study also allowed selection of the most suitable SSR for each species and genus by amplification quality and study type, thus contributing for a better comprehension of the relationships between the species, taxonomy, structure and genetic diversity, construction of genetic maps, and breeding and conservation programs in the family.