Identification of new microsatellite markers in Panax ginseng

Microsatellites, also called simple sequence repeats (SSR), are very useful molecular genetic markers commonly used in crop breeding, species identification and linkage analysis. In the present study, we constructed a microsatellite-enriched genomic library of Panax ginseng, and identified 251 novel microsatellite sequences. Tri-nt repeat units were the most abundant (46.6%), followed by di-nt repeats (35.5%). The (AG)n motif was most common (23.1%), followed by the (AAC)n motif (22.3%). From the genotyping of 94 microsatellites using marker-specific primer sets, we identified 11 intraspecific polymorphic markers as well as 14 possible interspecific polymorphic markers differing between P. ginseng and P. quinquefolius. The exact allele structures of the polymorphic markers were determined and the alleles were named. This study represents the first report of the bulk isolation of microsatellites by screening a microsatellite-enriched genomic library in P. ginseng. The microsatellite markers could be useful for linkage analysis, genetic breeding and authentication of Panax species.