Using the 454 pyrosequencing‐based technique in the development of nuclear microsatellite loci in the alpine plant Arabis alpina (Brassicaceae)

Abstract

Polymorphic microsatellite markers were developed for the inbred alpine perennial plant Arabis alpine to infer life-history parameters and measure patterns of contemporary gene fl ow within populations. Using the 454 pyrosequencing technique, 19 microsatellite primer sets were developed for A. alpina . The primer sets were tested on 60 individuals sampled from three sub-populations in the Swiss Alps. The primers amplifi ed di- and trinucleotide repeats with two to fi ve alleles per locus. Previous attempts to isolate microsatellite loci in A. alpina using enrichment libraries and cross-amplifi cation were diffi cult and produced an insufficient number of polymorphic microsatellite loci. In contrast, next-generation sequencing technology was successful in identifying microsatellite repeats in A. alpina. These newly developed microsatellite primers will be useful to further develop A. alpina into a model species for eco-genomic studies.