title: Development of microsatellite markers for the endangered medicinal plant Launaea arborescens (Asteraceae).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Microsatellite loci were developed in Launaea arborescens, an endangered and medicinal Asteraceae species in North Africa, for further investigation of its conservation genetics. •
  
  
  RESULTS
  We isolated and characterized 10 polymorphic and nine monomorphic microsatellite loci from L. arborescens using the protocol of Fast Isolation by AFLP of Sequences COntaining repeats (FIASCO). For the 10 polymorphic loci, the number of alleles detected per locus varied from two to six, and the observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.000 to 0.833 and 0.059 to 0.713, respectively. •
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The polymorphic markers provide a useful tool for conservation genetics studies of L. arborescens, including analysis of mating system, estimating gene flow, and identifying discrete genetic units within the species.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Plant Resources Conservation and Sustainable Utilization, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Chun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jun-Lin
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Ye
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Fa-Guo
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Fu-Wu
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Xing
mesh_terms: D054458:Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism Analysis; D019659:Asteraceae / Q000235:genetics*; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics*; D018744:DNA, Plant / Q000235:genetics*; D056727:Endangered Species; D051456:Gene Flow; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000235:genetics; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013030:Spain
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D018744:DNA, Plant