Development of SSR markers from transcriptomes for Orinus (Poaceae), an endemic of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Transcriptomes were used to develop microsatellite markers for the plant genus Orinus (Poaceae), which comprises three species of grasses (O. thoroldii, O. kokonoricus, and O. intermedius) that are widely distributed in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. METHODS AND RESULTS: Primer pairs were developed for 16 high-quality simple sequence repeats (SSRs) using transcriptomes. SSRs were amplified in 248 individuals representing the three species of Orinus; the number of alleles per locus ranged from one to seven, with an average of 2.6. The expected and observed heterozygosity per locus varied from 0.00 to 0.83 and from 0.00 to 1.00, respectively, with respective mean values of 0.32 and 0.34. CONCLUSIONS: These newly developed SSR markers will be valuable for evaluating the population genetic structure of Orinus throughout its range.