title: Microsatellite markers for population studies of Phytophthora megakarya (Pythiaceae), a cacao pathogen in Africa.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Phytophthora megakarya is the agent of black pod disease of cacao and is the main pathogen of this crop in Africa. Population genetic studies are required to investigate how this pathogen emerged. To this end, we developed 12 novel polymorphic microsatellite markers for P. megakarya.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Microsatellite sequences were obtained by pyrosequencing of multiplex-enriched libraries. Candidate loci with di- or trinucleotide motifs were selected, and primer pairs were tested with nine P. megakarya isolates. The 12 most polymorphic and unambiguous loci were selected to develop three multiplex PCR pools. The total number of alleles varied from two to nine, depending on loci, and higher than expected heterozygosity was observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These markers were used for population genetic studies of P. megakarya in Cameroon and for comparison with reference strains from West Africa. This is the first time that microsatellite markers have been developed for P. megakarya.
authors.affiliation: Institut de Recherche Agronomique pour le Developpement (IRAD), P.O. Box 2123, Yaounde, Cameroon.
authors.forename: C V
authors.initials: CV
authors.lastname: Mfegue
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Herail
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Adreit
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mbenoun
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Techou
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ten Hoopen
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tharreau
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ducamp
mesh_terms: D000354:Africa, Western; D002099:Cacao / Q000382:microbiology*; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D056426:Genetic Loci / Q000235:genetics; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005828:Genetics, Population; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010838:Phytophthora / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D004271:DNA, Fungal