Development and characterization of polymorphic EST‐SSR markers for Paphiopedilum henryanum (Orchidaceae)

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Microsatellite primers were developed for Paphiopedilum henryanum (Orchidaceae), a species threatened with extinction, to assess genetic diversity and population genetic structure. METHODS AND RESULTS: Based on the transcriptome data of P. henryanum, 34 novel polymorphic microsatellite expressed sequence tag–simple sequence repeat markers were developed and characterized in 33 individuals from two P. henryanum populations. The results showed the number of alleles per locus ranged from two to four, and levels of observed and expected heterozygosity per locus ranged from 0.000 to 1.000 and from 0.000 to 0.7333, respectively. Of these markers, some primers showed good amplification results in seven other Paphiopedilum species. CONCLUSIONS: The developed microsatellite markers will be useful in exploring the genetic diversity and structure of P. henryanum. Furthermore, most loci were successfully cross‐amplified in seven other species of Paphiopedilum, indicating that they will be of great value for genetic study across this genus.