Exploiting the Transcriptome of Euphrates Poplar Populus euphratica (Salicaceae) to Develop and Characterize New EST-SSR Markers and Construct an EST-SSR Database

摘要

BackgroundMicrosatellite markers or Simple Sequence Repeats (SSRs) are the most popular markers in population/conservation genetics. However, the development of novel microsatellite markers has been impeded by high costs, a lack of available sequence data and technical difficulties. New species-specific microsatellite markers were required to investigate the evolutionary history of the Euphratica tree, Populus euphratica, the only tree species found in the desert regions of Western China and adjacent Central Asian countries.