title: Development of 18 polymorphic microsatellite markers for Vinca minor (Apocynaceae) via 454 pyrosequencing.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Polymorphic microsatellite markers were developed in Vinca minor (Apocynaceae) to evaluate the level of clonality, population structure, and genetic diversity of the species within its native and introduced range.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 1371 microsatellites were found in 43,565 reads from 454 pyrosequencing of genomic V. minor DNA. Additional microsatellite loci were mined from publicly available cDNA sequences. After several rounds of screening, 18 primer pairs flanking di-, tri-, or tetranucleotide repeats were identified that revealed high levels of genetic diversity in two native Italian populations, with two to 11 alleles per locus. Clonal growth predominated in two populations from the introduced range in Germany. Five loci successfully cross-amplified in three additional Vinca species.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The novel polymorphic microsatellite markers are promising tools for studying clonality and population genetics of V. minor and for assessing the historical origin of Central European populations.
authors.affiliation: Systematics and Morphology of Plants, Institute of Biology, Universität Kassel, Heinrich-Plett-Str. 40, 34132 Kassel, Germany.
authors.forename: Sina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moeller
authors.affiliation: Systematics and Morphology of Plants, Institute of Biology, Universität Kassel, Heinrich-Plett-Str. 40, 34132 Kassel, Germany.
authors.forename: Tina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wöhrmann
authors.affiliation: Max Planck-Genome-centre Cologne, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Carl-von-Linné-Weg 10, 50829 Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Huettel
authors.affiliation: Systematics and Morphology of Plants, Institute of Biology, Universität Kassel, Heinrich-Plett-Str. 40, 34132 Kassel, Germany.
authors.forename: Kurt
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Weising
keywords: Apocynaceae; Vinca minor; clonality; introduced species; relic of cultivation; simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers