Premise of the study: Simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were derived from transcriptomic data for Ottelia acuminata (Hydrocharitaceae), a species comprising five endemic and highly endangered varieties in China.
Methods and results: Sixteen novel SSR markers were developed for O. acuminata var. jingxiensis. One to eight alleles per locus were found, with a mean of 2.896. The observed and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.000 to 1.000 and 0.000 to 0.793, respectively. Interestingly, in cross-varietal amplification, 13 out of the 16 loci were successfully amplified in O. acuminata var. acuminata, and 12 amplified in each of the other three varieties of O. acuminata.
Conclusions: These newly developed SSR markers will facilitate further study of genetic variation and provide important genetic data needed for appropriate conservation of natural populations of all varieties of O. acuminata.
Keywords: Hydrocharitaceae; Ottelia acuminata var. jingxiensis; expressed sequence tag–simple sequence repeat (EST-SSR); microsatellite; transcriptome.