title: Development of a novel set of EST-SSR markers and cross-species amplification in Tamarix africana (Tamaricaceae).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Tamarix plants are resistant to abiotic stresses and have become invasive in North America. Their taxonomy is troublesome, and few molecular makers are available to enable species identification or to track the spread of specific invasive genotypes. Transcriptome sequencing projects offer a potential source for the development of new markers. •
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirteen polymorphic simple sequence repeats (SSRs) markers derived from Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) from Tamarix hispida, T. androssowii, T. ramosissima, and T. albiflonum were identified and screened on 24 samples of T. africana to detect polymorphism. The number of alleles per locus ranged from two to eight, with an average of 4.3 alleles per locus, and the mean expected heterozygosity was 0.453. •
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Amplification products of these 13 loci were also generated for T. gallica. These new EST-SSR markers will be useful in genetic characterization of Tamarix, as additional tools for taxonomic clarification, and for studying invasive populations where they are a threat.
authors.affiliation: Department of Forest Environment and Resources, University of Tuscia, via S. Camillo de Lellis snc. I-01100 Viterbo, Italy.
authors.forename: Serena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Terzoli
authors.forename: Isacco
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Beritognolo
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sabatti
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kuzminsky