Cross-species amplification and characterization of microsatellite loci in Pinus mugo Turra

Pinus mugo (dwarf mountain pine) is an important component of European mountain ecosystems. However, little is known about the present genetic structure and population differentiation of this species at the DNA level, possibly due to a lack of nuclear microsatellite markers (SSR) developed for Pinus mugo. Therefore in this study we transferred microsatellite markers originally developed for Pinus sylvestris and Pinus taeda to Pinus mugo. This cross-species amplification approach is much faster and less expensive than isolation and characterization of new microsatellite markers. The transfer rates from the source species to Pinus mugo were moderately low (26%). There were no differences in microsatellite repeat motifs between the source species and Pinus mugo. Nuclear microsatellite markers successfully transferred to Pinus mugo can be applied to various genetic studies on this species, due to the high level of their polymorphism and high value of polymorphic information content.