Development and characterization of expressed sequence tag–simple sequence repeat markers for the near-threatened halophyte Artemisia fukudo Makino

Abstract

RNA sequencing analysis was performed to develop 16 novel expressed sequence tag–simple sequence repeat (EST–SSR) markers to evaluate genetic variation in the near-threatened halophyte Artemisia fukudo Makino, which inhabits riversides and tidal muds affected by brackish water at high tide. In the four populations examined, the total number of alleles at each locus ranged from two to 13, with an average of 4.3. The observed and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.05 to 0.64 and 0.06 to 0.72, respectively. These newly developed EST–SSR markers will support the understanding of the population genetic structure of A. fukudo and contribute to the conservation of this species.