Characterisation of EST-based SSR loci in the endangered tree Manchurian fir Abies holophylla: a transcriptomic approach

Abstract

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature has declared Abies holophylla maxim an endangered species. In the study described herein, 171 novel microsatellite markers were identified by mining the transcriptomic database of Abies balsamea to develop a practical and realistic conservation strategy. Among these markers, fragments of expected sizes were amplified from 86 loci of which 14 exhibited polymorphism and 34 monomorphism in eight individuals of A. holophylla. The number of alleles in these 14 expressed sequence tag-simple sequence repeats (EST-SSRs) ranged from two to three per locus, and the observed (H_o) and expected heterozygosity (H_e) values ranged from 0 to 1.0 and 0.117 to 0.594, respectively. Polymorphic information content respectively ranged from 0.110 to 0.511. These polymorphic markers will be useful for evaluating genetic biodiversity and aid in the development of a conservation strategy for this relict species.