TITLE:
Development and Characterization of Microsatellite Markers for Three Pollination Morphs of Cimicifuga simplex (Ranunculaceae)
AUTHORS:
Tsubasa Toji, Yoshiaki Kameyama, Akira S. Hirao, Takao Itino
KEYWORDS:
Cimicifuga simplex, Genetic Structure, Microsatellite Marker, Next-Generation Sequencing, Pollination Morph
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.9 No.4,
March
8,
2018
ABSTRACT: Cimicifuga
simplex Wormsk. (Ranunculaceae) is a perennial herb
distributed in eastern and northeastern Asia for which at least three different
pollination morphs have been reported. It is classified as endangered or near
threatened in some Japanese regions, and its rhizome is commercially used as a
crude drug. To examine genetic differentiation and gene flow among the three
morphs, we developed eight microsatellite markers by using next-generation
sequencing and estimated the genetic structure of C. simplex. We tested eight primer pairs on 93 individuals from six
populations of C. simplex in Nagano,
central Japan, and found that heterozygosity in morphs I and III was low
compared to expected heterozygosity. Bayesian clustering performed with the
STRUCTURE program clearly distinguished the three morphs of C. simplex, and only a little gene flow
was detected among the morphs. These eight microsatellite markers are expected
to be useful in conservation genetic studies of this species and for future
conservation planning.