Assessment of genetic diversity in dent and popcorn (Zea mays L.) inbred lines using inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) amplification

Simple sequence repeats (SSR), or microsatellites, are ubiquitous in eukaryotic genomes. Here we demonstrate the utility of microsatellite-directed DNA fingerprinting by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of the interrepeat region. No sequencing is required to design the oligonucleotide primers. We tested primers anchored at 3' or 5' termini of the (CA)n repeats, extended into the flanking sequence by 2 to 4 nucleotide residues [3'-anchored primers: (CA)8RG, (CA)8RY, and (CA)7RTCY; and 5'-anchored primers: BDB(CA)7C, DBDA(CA)7, VHVG(TG)7 and HVH(TG)7T]. Radioactively labeled amplification products were analyzed by electrophoresis, revealing information on multiple genomic loci in a single gel lane. Complex, species-specific patterns were obtained from a variety of eukaryotic taxa. Intraspecies polymorphisms were also observed and shown to segregate as Mendelian markers. Inter-SSR PCR provides a novel fingerprinting approach applicable for taxonomic and phylogenetic comparisons and as a mapping tool in a wide range of organisms. This application of (CA)n repeats may be extended to different microsatellites and other common dispersed elements.

The abundance of different simple sequence motifs in plants was accessed through data base searches of DNA sequences and quantitative hybridization with synthetic dinucleotide repeats. Database searches indicated that microsatellites are five times less abundant in the genomes of plants than in mammals. The most common plant repeat motif was AA/TT followed by AT/TA and CT/GA. This group comprised about 75% of all microsatellites with a length of more than 6 repeats. The GT/CA motif being the most abundant dinucleotide repeat in mammals was found to be considerably less frequent in plants. To address the question if plant simple repeat sequences are variable as in mammals, (GT)n and (CT)n microsatellites were isolated from B.napus. Five loci were investigated by PCR-analysis and amplified products were obtained for all microsatellites from B. oleracea, B.napus and B.rapa DNA, but only for one primer pair from B.nigra. Polymorphism was detected for all microsatellites.

Dinucleotide microsatellites have been characterized and used as genetic markers in rice. Screening of a rice genomic library with poly(dG-dA).(dC-dT) and poly(dG-dT).(dC-dA) probes indicated that (GA)n repeats occurred, on average, once every 225 kb and (GT)n repeats once every 480 kb. DNA sequencing of ten randomly selected microsatellites indicated that the numbers of repeats ranged from 12 to 34 and that the patterns of microsatellites in rice were similar to those of humans and other mammals. Primers to these microsatellite loci as well as to four published microsatellite-containing sequences have been designed and degrees of polymorphism has been examined with 20 rice accessions. Multiple alleles, ranging from 5 to 11, have been observed at all the microsatellite loci in 20 rice accessions. Alleles specific to two cultivated subspecies, indica and japonica, were found in some microsatellite loci. Heterozygosity values of all the microsatellite markers were significantly higher than those of RFLP markers, based upon a parallel comparison. Ten microsatellite loci have been genetically mapped to four rice chromosomes. The genomic distribution of microsatellites appears to be random in rice.