Detection of Intra-Clonal Genetic Variability in Vegetatively Propagated Tea Using RAPD Markers

The role of random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers in detecting intra-clonal genetic variability in vegetatively propagated UPASI-9 clone of tea (Camellia sinensis) was studied. Twenty five decamer primers were used, of which three did not amplify, three gave single bands and the rest of nineteen primers generated upto twelve bands (an average of 6.3 bands per primer). Twenty one primers exhibiting amplified products gave monomorphic banding patterns. Only one primer (OPE-17) gave a unique extra band of similar size in four plants.     

莲藕品种DNA指纹图谱的绘制

采用RAPD技术对14个莲藕品种进行遗传多态性分析,用5个Operon引物和80个SBS的RAPD引物进行筛选,从中选出来自SBS的RAPD-C13和RAPD-D15扩增出的8条多态性条带,绘制了14个品种的DNA指纹图谱,在该图谱中每个品种均有各自特异的DNA指纹。     

Monitoring of cultivar identity in tissue culture-derived date palms using RAPD and AFLP analysis

In the present study, two polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods namely, randomly amplified polymophic DNA (RAPD) and amplification fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) were employed to assess genetic variations, which may appeared, in tissue culture-derived date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) offshoots. Analysis of RAPD banding patterns generated by PCR amplification using 37 random primers gave no evidences for somaclonal variations and the percentage of polymorphic bands in a total of 259 scored bands was zero. Meanwhile, analysis of AFLP banding patterns generated using 13 primer combinations pointed to minor genetic variations in the AFLP banding patterns. The percentage of genetic variations (polymorphism) in tissue culture-derived date palm offshoots belonging to cultivars Sakkoty, Gandila and Bertamoda was 2.6, 0.79 and 1 %, respectively, as revealed by AFLP analysis. The low percentage of genetic variations confirms the genetic stability of tissue culture-derived dry date palm cultivars.     

Genetic Diversity of Radish (Raphanus sativus L.) Germplasm Resources Revealed by AFLP and RAPD Markers

Genetic diversity of 56 radish accessions, representing nearly all the typical types and origins of cultivated radish germplasms conserved in the National Mid-term Genebank for Vegetables of China, was assessed with amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. A total of 72 and 128 polymorphic bands were generated by the 12 selected RAPD primers and eight AFLP primer combinations respectively. A moderate correlation with the value of r = 0.66 was observed between AFLP and RAPD markers. The total 200 polymorphic bands were integrated to assess the genetic diversity of 56 radish accessions. The Jaccard similarity coefficients between the accessions varied from 0.30 to 0.83 with the mean of 0.54. Cluster analysis classified the germplasms into three groups of var. hortensis Becker, var. sativus, and var. niger Kerner. The three-dimensions scatter plot of principle coordinate analysis (PCA) further divided var. hortensis Becker germplasms into two separate groups. The results indicated that the genetic diversity harbored among var. hortensis Becker germplasms was very abundant, which could be further exploited for radish genetic improvement.     

Comparative Evaluation of RAPD and AFLP Based Genetic Diversity in Brinjal (Solanum melongena)

The present investigation was carried out with an objective of evaluating genetic diversity in brinjal (Solanum melongena) using DNA markers. A total of 38 brinjal accessions including one wild-species, Solanum sisymbrifolium were characterized using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAP D) and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) techniques. Out of 45 primers employed to generate RAPD profiles, reproducible patterns were obtained with 32 primers and 30 (93.7%) of these detected polymorphism. A total of 149 bands were obtained, out of which 108 (72.4%) were polymorphic. AFLP analysis was carried out using four primer combinations. Each of these primers was highly polymorphic. Out of 253 fragments amplified from these four primer combinations, 237 (93.6%) were polymorphic. The extent of pair-wise similarity ranged from 0.264 to 0.946 with a mean of 0.787 in RAPD, in contrast to a range of 0.103 to 0.847 with a mean of 0.434 in AFLP. The wild species clustered separately from the brinjal genotypes. In the dendrogram constructed separately using RAPD and AFLP markers, the brinjal genotypes were grouped into clusters and sub-clusters, and the varieties released by IARI remained together on both the dendrograms. All the 30 RAPD primers in combination and each of the four primer pairs in AFLP could distinguish the brinjal accessions from each other. AFLP was thus found to be more efficient than RAPD in estimation of genetic diversity and differentiation of varieties in brinjal.     

RAPD typing for distinguishing species and strains in the genus Listeria

The randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique was employed in the development of a typing protocol for Listeria isolates, particularly Listeria monocytogenes strains. A single strain of L. monocytogenes was used and 200 random decamer primers were screened for their discriminatory abilities by visualizing the amplification products electrophoretically. Three candidate primers displaying potentially useful banding patterns were selected and tested against 52 L. monocytogenes strains, encompassing 11 serotypes, and 12 other strains representing five other Listeria spp. Thirty-four banding profiles were obtained with one particular primer. RAPD analysis allowed differentiation between Listeria spp. and was found to further subdivide strains of the same serotype. Where only one primer was used strains from different serotypes were occasionally found to produce identical banding profiles. RAPD analysis, which in our hands proved to be reproducible, shows much promise as a molecular alternative to traditional L. monocytogenes typing protocols.     

Applicability of inter-simple sequence repeat polymorphisms in wheat for use as DNA markers in comparison to RFLP and RAPD markers

 Inter-simple sequence repeat polymorphic DNA (ISSR) was evaluated for its applicability as a genetic marker system in wheat. PCR was carried out with primers that annealed to simple sequence repeats. The resultant products were subjected to agarose-gel electrophoresis, and the banding patterns were compared among six wheat accessions containing diploid, tetraploid, and hexaploid members. Out of 100 examined, 33 primers produced distinguishable as well as polymorphic bands in each of the six accessions. Although most of the primers that gave distinct bands (30 primers out of 33) contained dinucleotide repeats, each of the primers with tri-, tetra-, and penta-nucleotide motifs also yielded discrete bands. Primers based on (AC)_n repeats gave the most polymorphic bands. In total, 224 polymorphic bands were found in the comparison between Einkorn wheats whereas, on the average, 120 polymorphic bands were detected between common wheats. ISSR primers produced several times more information than RAPD markers. The extent of band polymorphism was similar to that of RFLP markers, and greater than that of RAPDs. The genetic relationships of wheat accessions estimated by the polymorphism of ISSR markers were identical with those inferred by RFLP and RAPD markers, indicating the reliability of ISSR markers for estimation of genotypes. These polymorphic bands are potential candidates as novel markers for use in linkage-map construction in wheat. The characteristic features of ISSR markers, i.e. polymorphism, generation of information and ease of handling, suggest their applicability to the analysis of genotypes as well as to the construction of PCR-based genome maps of wheats. Received: 15 September 1996 / Accepted: 25 October 1996     

Genetic and geographic polymorphism of cultivated tobaccos (Nicotiana tabacum) in Turkey

Nicotiana tabacum (2n = 48) is a natural amphidiploid and shows a distribution over a geographical area in eastern Anatolia. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique was used to evaluate both genetic diversity among 21 primitive tobacco accessions comparing flue cure virginia genotype (FCV) and their geographical polymorphism as a source of genetic variations for breeding programs. Only 13 of all the 60 random primers used in RAPD showed polymorphism acceptable for characterization of these accessions. Totally 118 RAPD fragments were generated from 13 decamer primer and 64 of them were found polymorphic (54.2%). Mus and FCV showed the smallest genetic distance among accessions cultivated in the eastern Anatolia. These results shows that the RAPD assay is a powerful approach for identifying genetic and geographic polymorphism. This article was submitted by the authors in English.     

Relationships among <Emphasis Type="Italic">Leymus</Emphasis> species assessed by RAPD markers

The DNA genetic diversity of 40 accessions of genus Leymus was analyzed by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. A total of 352 products were amplified by 34 10-mer arbitrary primers, among which 337 products (95.74 %) were found to be polymorphic. 5–14 polymorphic bands were amplified by each polymorphic primer, with an average of 9.91 bands. The data of 352 RAPD bands were used to generate Jaccard’s similarity coefficients and to construct a dendrogram by means of UPGMA. Great genetic diversity in genus Leymus was observed, the genetic diversity among the different species more abundant than that of the different accessions, and the different accessions in a species or the species from the same areas were clustered together.     

Application of RAPD markers for characterization of γ-ray-induced rose mutants and assessment of genetic diversity

Six parent and their 12 gamma ray-induced somatic flower colour mutants of garden rose were characterized to discriminate the mutants from their respective parents and understanding the genetic diversity using Random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. Out of 20 primers screened, 14 primers yielded completely identical fragments patterns. The other 7 primers gave highly polymorphic banding patterns among the radiomutants. All the cultivars were identified by using only 7 primers. Moreover, individual mutants were also distinguished by unique RAPD marker bands. Based on the presence or absence of the 48 polymorphic bands, the genetic variations within and among the 18 cultivars were measured. Genetic distance between all 18 cultivars varied from 0.40 to 0.91, as revealed by Jaccard’s coefficient matrix. A dendrogram was constructed based on the similarity matrix using the Neighbor Joining Tree method showed three main clusters. The present RAPD analysis can be used not only for estimating genetic diversity present in gamma ray-induced mutants but also for correct identification of mutant/new varieties for their legal protection under plant variety rights.     

Analysis of genetic heterogeneity among five gynogenetic clones of silver crucian carp, Carassius auratus gibelio Bloch, based on detection of RAPD molecular markers

The gynogenetic silver crucian carp, Carassius auratus gibelio, is a unique model system for studying evolutionary genetics and selective breeding, owing to its specific genetic background and reproductive modes. Five gynogenetic clones were analyzed by the random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique, using 30 10-nucleotide-long primers. Twenty-six primers produced well-amplified DNA fragments with reproducible banding patterns, and 24 primers were polymorphic. Nearly identical banding patterns were observed among individuals within each clone, suggesting that each clone might possess a specific pattern owing to its gynogenesis. In contrast, the RAPD patterns of the five clones differed from each other. A phylogenetic tree was constructed using UPGMA cluster analysis based on a total of 3,744 distinguishable fragments (156 per individual). Average genetic distances within and among the five clones clearly indicated their intraclonal homogeneity, interclonal heterogeneity, and phylogenetic relationships. Clones A and P were the most closely related, whereas the most divergence was seen between clone D and clone E or F. A total of 88 polymorphic fragments were scored from 24 primers after excluding bands that were monomorphic for the five clones. Most primers corresponding to the polymorphic fragments amplified reproducible markers specific for one clone or that were shared by two, three, or four clones. Several primers (e.g., Opj-1, Opj-7, and Opp-10) produced abundant banding patterns that could be used to discriminate between the five clones. Markers specific for one or two clones were also identified. The RAPD markers identified in this study will likely benefit evolutionary genetics and selective breeding studies.     

Optimization of primer screening for evaluation of genetic relationship in rose cultivars

Optimization of primer screening for evaluation of genetic relationship in 34 cultivars of rose through random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers was investigated. Four series of decamer primers were used for screening and optimization of RAPD analysis between which A and N series performed good amplification of fragments as compared with other series. The primers OPN-07 and OPN-15 produced maximum number of DNA fragments in Rosa hybrida cv. Anuraag. Some primer either did not produce amplification or produced very poor amplification. Further, ten selected primers were used for genetic analysis of 34 rose cultivars. The primer OPN-15 amplified 21 fragments in all cultivars tested. A total of 162 distinct DNA fragments (bands) ranging from 100 to 3400 base pairs were amplified by using 10 selected random primers. The cluster analysis indicated that these rose cultivars formed nine clusters.     

Genetic and geographic polymorphism of cultivated tobaccos (Nicotiana tabacum) in Turkey

Nicotiana tabacum (2n = 48) is a natural amphidiploid and shows a distribution over a geographical area in eastern anatolia. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique was used to evaluate both genetic diversity among 21 primitive tobacco accessions comparing flue cure virginia genotype (FCV) and their geographical polymorphism as a source of genetic variations for breeding programs. Only 13 of all the 60 random primers used in RAPD showed polymorphism acceptable for characterization of these accessions. Totally 118 RAPD fragments were generated from thirteen decamer primer and sixtyfour of them were found polymorphic (54.2%). Mus and FCV showed the smallest genetic distance among accessions cultivated in the eastern anatolia. These results shows that the RAPD assay is a powerful approach for identifying genetic and geographic polymorphism.     

Use of RAPD fingerprinting for discriminating two populations of Hilsa shad (Tenualosa ilisha Ham.) from inland rivers of Bangladesh

The Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RAPD-PCR) was applied to analyze the genetic variation of the Hilsa shad, Tenualosa ilisha Ham., from the two major inland rivers (Padma and Meghna) in Bangladesh. Twenty-eight random 10-mer primers were primarily scored in 8 individuals from each of the two locations. Fifteen primers, which gave polymorphism, were selected and used in the final analysis of 34 individuals from the two sites. Using these primers, 480 scorable DNA fragments were found, of which 98 (20.41%) were polymorphic. By comparing the RAPD banding patterns, variations were found between and within the populations. A dendrogram was constructed with the polymorphic fragments to analyze the genetic distances between the Hilsa shad populations. The results show two major clusters of Padma and Meghna, assuming different spawning populations with different stocks or races of Hilsa shad in the major Bangladesh rivers.     

Evaluation of some garlic (Allium sativum L.) mutants resistant to white rot disease by RAPD analysis

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis was used to evaluate genetic diversity among eight garlic mutants resistant to white rot disease (Sclerotium cepivorum). Twelve of the 13 synthetic random primers were found to identify polymorphism in amplification products. Mutants characterised with moderate resistance to white rot were closely related to the control using cluster and correlation analyses. On the other hand, highly resistant mutants were quite distant from the control with low correlation coefficients. The banding patterns produced by primer OPB‐15 (GGAGGGTGTT) with highly resistant mutants may by used as genetic markers for early selection of resistant plants.     

Evaluation of the genetic fidelity of in vitro-propagated gerbera (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Gerbera jamesonii</Emphasis> Bolus) using DNA-based markers

The genetic fidelity of in vitro-raised gerbera clones was assessed by using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers. Out of 35 RAPD and 32 ISSR primers screened, only 12 RAPD and 10 ISSR primers produced clear, reproducible and scorable bands. The 12 RAPD primers produced 54 distinct and scorable bands, with an average of 4.5 bands per primer. The number of scorable bands for ISSR primers varied from 3 (ISSR-14) to 9 (ISSR-07), with an average of 5.5 bands per primer. The number of bands generated per primer was greater in ISSR than RAPD. All banding profiles from micropropagated plants were monomorphic and similar to those of the mother plant. A similarity matrix based on Jaccard’s coefficient revealed that the pair-wise value between the mother and the in vitro-raised plantlets was 1, indicating 100% similarity. This confirmed the true-to-type nature of the in vitro-raised clones.     

Genetic relationship between Polish and Chinese strains of the mushroom Agaricus bisporus (Lange) Sing., determined by the RAPD method

The genetic relationship between twenty-six strains of Agaricus bisporus were analysed by the RAPD (random amplified polymorphic DNA) method. DNA amplification was performed with the use of twelve arbitrary 10-mer primers. Four primers, which gave polymorphic band patterns were chosen for RAPD analysis. In total, they gave 24 distinguishable bands, of which nine were polymorphic. The conducted research showed that there is a great genetic similarity among the examined strains. Low polymorphism of the strains may be a proof of a limited genetic pool used in the cultivation of those strains.     

Detection of Polymorphic DNA and Taxonomic Relationships Among 10 Wild Perennial Soybean Species Using Specific and Arbitrary Nucleotide Primers

Polymorphic DNA in complex genomes of agronomic crops can be detected using specific nucleotide and arbitrary primers and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Nineteen accessions representing 10 species of the wild perennial soybean were evaluated using 4 sets of specific primers and 3 sets of random amplified polymorphic DNAs (RAPD) primers. The potential of the RAPD assays was further increased by combining two primers in a single PCR. The fragments generated by the two assays discriminated 10 wild species by banding profiles. The size of the amplified DNA fragments ranged from 100 to 2100 base pairs. The resolved PCR products yielded highly characteristic and homogeneous DNA fingerprints. The fingerprints were useful not only for investigating genetic variability but also for further characterizing the wild soybean species by detecting inter- and intra-specific polymorphisms, constructing dendrograms defining the phylogenetic relationships among these species, and identifying molecular markers for the construction of genetic linkage maps. Furthermore, unique markers distinguishing particular species were also identified. Thus, it is expected that PCR will have great relevance for taxonomic studies. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Genetic diversity among accessions of an ancient olive variety of Cyprus.

To evaluate germplasm variability and to discriminate between accessions of 'Ladolia', an ancient olive variety of Cyprus, different accessions from a germplasm collection were screened with 11 selected oligonucleotide primers in RAPD-PCRs. A total of 49 polymorphic markers were scored, the combination of which resulted in 70 distinct electrophoretic patterns. Based on either unique or combined patterns, all accessions were identified. Seven genotype-specific markers were detected. One RAPD marker could distinguish accessions according to fruit size. Genetic similarities between accessions, estimated using the Dice similarity coefficient, indicated a high degree of genetic diversity among 'Ladolia' accessions. Genetic relationships were estimated by the unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic averaging (UPGMA) and principal components analysis (PCA). Three main groups of accessions were detected. The first group was generally composed of accessions with small-sized fruits and could be further divided into two subgroups. According to PCA, most accessions with medium- or large-sized fruits were clustered together. Our results support previous observations suggesting that 'Ladolia' is actually a highly variable mixture of genetically distinct landraces.     

Assessment of genetic variation within Indian mustard (Brassica juncea) germplasm using random amplified polymorphic DNA markers

Genetic diversity among 45 Indian mustard (Brassica Juncea L.) genotypes comprising 37 germplasm collections, five advance breeding lines and three improved cultivars was investigated at the DNA level using the random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique. Fifteen primers used generated a total of 92 RAPD fragments, of which 81 (88%) were polymorphic. Of these, 13 were unique to accession 'Pak85559'. Each primer produced four to nine amplified products with an average of 6.13 bands per primer. Based on pairwise comparisons of RAPD amplification products, Nei and Li's similarity coefficients were calculated to evaluate the relationships among the accessions. Pairwise similarity indices were higher among the oilseed accessions and cultivars showing narrow ranges of 0.77-0.99. An unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic averages cluster analysis based on these genetic similarities placed most of the collections and oilseed cultivars close to each other, showing a low level of polymorphism between the accessions used. However, the clusters formed by oilseed collections and cultivars were comparatively distinct from that of advanced breeding lines. Genetically, all of the accessions were classified into a few major groups and a number of individual accessions. Advanced breeding lines were relatively divergent from the rest of the accessions and formed independent clusters. Clustering of the accessions did not show any pattern of association between the RAPD markers and the collection sites. A low level of genetic variability of oilseed mustard was attributed to the selection for similar traits and horticultural uses. Perhaps close parentage of these accessions further contributed towards their little diversity. The study demonstrated that RAPD is a simple and fast technique to compare the genetic relationship and pattern of variation among the gene pool of this crop.