Microsatellite markers of an important medicinal plant, Eurycoma longifolia (Simaroubaceae), for DNA profiling

Abstract

Premise of the study: Microsatellite markers of an important medicinal plant, Eurycoma longifolia (Simaroubaceae), were developed for DNA profiling and genetic diversity studies. Methods and Results: Eighteen polymorphic microsatellite loci were developed for E. longifolia. The primers were designed from a genomic library enriched for dinucleotide (CT) repeats and screened on 32 samples from a natural population. The number of alleles detected per locus ranged from four to 16, while the observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.097 to 0.938. No significant deviation from Hardy - Weinberg equilibrium was detected in all the 18 loci, and no linkage disequilibrium was found between these loci after conservative Bonferroni correction. Conclusions: The 18 microsatellite markers of E. longifolia are highly polymorphic and informative. These markers would serve as an important tool for DNA profiling and genetic diversity studies. © 2011 Botanical Society of America.