Skip to main content
ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #74875
Title: LENGTH POLYMORPHISM AND HOMOLOGIES OF MICROSATELLITES IN SEVERAL CUCURBITACEAE SPECIES

Author
item KATZIR, NURIT - ISRAEL
item DANIN-POLEG, YAEL - ISRAEL
item TZURI, GALIL - ISRAEL
item KARCHI, ZVI - ISRAEL
item LAVI, URI - ISRAEL
item Cregan, Perry

Submitted to: Journal of Theoretical and Applied Genetics
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/6/1996
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: DNA markers are used by plant breeders to identify plants with improved characteristics without the necessity of expensive testing for disease or insect resistance, fruit quality, resistance to environmental stresses, etc. However, the process of developing useful DNA markers is an expensive and complex one. It would be very desirable if DNA markers that are used in one species could also be used in other related species thereby effectively reducing the cost of DNA marker development in any one species. In this study, a group of seven simple sequence repeat (SSR) DNA markers were developed - five from melon and two from cucumber. Each was tested on a group of species of the Cucurbit family. These species included melon, cucumber, squash, pumpkin, and watermelon. Four of the seven SSR markers functioned well in all of the Cucurbit species indicating that a set of markers developed in one species will be useful in others. The ability to transfer SSR markers from one species to another alters the calculation of the cost of marker development. The SSR DNA markers identified in this study and the information generated as a result of their development and characterization can be used by breeders and geneticists working to use DNA markers to improve cucumbers, melons, squash, watermelon, and pumpkin. This same approach may also be useful in other groups of related plant species.

Technical Abstract: The objectives of this research were to assess (a) the degree of simple sequence repeat (SSR) DNA length polymorphism in melon (Cucumis melo L.) and other species within the Cucurbitaceae family and (b) the possibility of utilizing SSR primers from one species in other genera or species of the Cucurbitaceae. Five melon (CT/GA) SSRs were isolated from a genomic library. Two cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) SSRs were detected through a DNA sequence database search, one contained a (CT)8 repeat, and the other a (AT)13 repeat. The seven SSRs were tested in a sample of Cucurbitaceae genotypes including eight melon, eleven cucumber, five squash, one pumpkin, and three watermelon genotypes. Five of the seven SSRs tested detected length polymorphism among the eight melon genotypes. PCR amplification revealed between three and five length variants (alleles) for each SSR locus, with gene diversity values ranging from 0.53 to 0.75. . Codominant segregation of the alleles among F2 progeny was demonstrated for each of the five SSR loci. Four of the seven SSRs detected polymorphism among the 11 cucumber genotypes tested, with gene diversity values ranging between 0.18 and 0.64. Primers specific to SSRs of C. melo and C. sativus also amplified DNA extracted from genotypes belonging to other genera of the Cucurbitaceae family.