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Genic microsatellite markers in plants: features and applications
Rajeev K Varshney1, Andreas Graner, Mark E Sorrells
1Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), Corrensstrasse 3, D-06466 Gatersleben, Germany. rajeevkvarshney@hotmail.com
Trends in Biotechnology
|January 5, 2005
Summary
Expressed sequence tag (EST) derived simple sequence repeats (SSRs) offer an economical and functional approach for plant genetic research. These molecular markers aid in understanding genetic diversity and facilitate marker-assisted selection in crop breeding.
Area of Science:
- Plant genetics
- Molecular biology
- Bioinformatics
Background:
- Expressed sequence tag (EST) projects yield extensive plant sequence data.
- Publicly available EST data can be mined for simple sequence repeats (SSRs).
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the utility of EST-derived SSRs as molecular markers in plant genetics and breeding.
- To discuss the applications and potential uses of EST-SSRs.
Main Methods:
- Mining publicly available plant EST data for SSR identification.
- Utilizing homology searches to infer putative gene function for SSRs.
- Assessing SSR transferability across related plant species.
Main Results:
- EST-SSRs are cost-effective molecular markers.
- They are derived from transcribed genes, allowing for functional inference.
- High transferability to related species and utility as anchor markers for comparative mapping.
Conclusions:
- EST-SSRs are valuable tools for assessing functional diversity in plant populations and germplasm.
- Their application in marker-assisted selection, particularly for traits linked to specific genes, is promising.
- EST-SSRs contribute significantly to plant genetics, breeding, comparative mapping, and evolutionary studies.