Isolation and characterization of 14 dinucleotide microsatellite loci in the endangered herb Saruma henryi Oliv. (Aristolochiaceae)

Abstract

Saruma henryi Oliv. (Aristolochiaceae) is an endangered perennial herb endemic to China, and has received considerable attention for its high phylogenetic, ecological and medicinal significances. To investigate its genetic diversity and structure, 14 polymorphic microsatellite loci were isolated and characterized from a dinucleotide-enriched genomic library of S. henryi. The number of alleles per locus varied between 5 and 8, with the average of 7.07 per locus. The expected and observed heterozygosities ranged from 0.6281 to 0.8532 and from 0.4762 to 0.8000, respectively. In addition, their cross-taxa transferability was also evaluated in two cofamilial species Aristolochia contorta Bge. and Asarum himalaicum Hook. f. et Thoms. ex Klotzsch. These informative microsatellite loci provide a powerful tool for genetic analyses of S. henryi and related taxa.