Premise of the study: Based on the ESTs database, we report here for the first time 15 polymorphic single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the Actinidia chinensis species complex that can be used to study population genetic variation.
Methods and results: SNPs derived from ESTs of the A. chinensis species complex were identified by the in silico SNP discovery strategy. The Cleaved Amplified polymorphic Sequences (CAPS) method was used to validate putative SNPs in a sample of 24 diploid A. chinensis individuals. For the 15 nuclear SNPs identified, all loci had two alleles, and the minor allele frequency ranged from 0.146 to 0.479. The expected and observed heterozygosities ranged from 0 to 0.500 and from 0 to 0.875, respectively.
Conclusions: The developed markers in this study will provide valuable tools for characterizing genetic variation in evolutionary and ecological studies of natural populations.