Development of novel microsatellite markers for strain-specific identification of Chlorella vulgaris

A strain-specific identification method is required to secure Chlorella strains with useful genetic traits, such as a fast growth rate or high lipid productivity, for application in biofuels, functional foods, and pharmaceuticals. Microsatellite markers based on simple sequence repeats can be a useful tool for this purpose. Therefore, this study developed five novel microsatellite markers (mChl-001, mChl-002, mChl-005, mChl-011, and mChl-012) using specific loci along the chloroplast genome of Chlorella vulgaris. The microsatellite markers were characterized based on their allelic diversities among nine strains of C. vulgaris with the same 18S rRNA sequence similarity. Each microsatellite marker exhibited 2~5 polymorphic allele types, and their combinations allowed discrimination between seven of the C. vulgaris strains. The two remaining strains were distinguished using one specific interspace region between the mChl-001 and mChl-005 loci, which was composed of about 27 single nucleotide polymorphisms, 13~15 specific sequence sites, and (T)n repeat sites. Thus, the polymorphic combination of the five microsatellite markers and one specific locus facilitated a clear distinction of C. vulgaris at the strain level, suggesting that the proposed microsatellite marker system can be useful for the accurate identification and classification of C. vulgaris.