Development of microsatellite markers for the medicinal plant isodon rubescens (Lamiaceae) and related species

Abstract

Premise of the study: Microsatellite markers were developed for the medicinal plant Isodon rubescens to investigate genetic variability of the species and, in future studies, to assess its relation to the content of pharmacologically active chemicals produced by the plant. Methods and Results: Eleven primer pairs were identified and tested in multiple populations of I. rubescens and related species (I. henryi, I. enanderianus, I. lophanthoides) from the People ' s Republic of China. The primers amplified dinucleotide repeats and had between two and 12 alleles per locus in a given population. Conclusions: These microsatellites will be useful for understanding patterns of phytochemical variation in I. rubescens and have the potential to be applied to research on evolutionary processes in other species of the genus Isodon. © 2011 Botanical Society of America.