Development and characterization of 30 microsatellite loci for Plagiorhegma dubium (Berberidaceae)

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Plagiorhegma dubium (Berberidaceae) has been listed as an endangered species in Korea due to extensive collection and destruction of natural habitats. In this study, 30 microsatellite loci, including 25 polymorphic loci, were developed for P. dubium for use in population‐level genetic analyses. METHODS AND RESULTS: We carried out transcriptome sequencing and isolated a total of 30 expressed sequence tag–simple sequence repeat markers from P. dubium using Illumina HiSeq high‐throughput sequencing. To test utility of the developed markers, we genotyped 60 individuals from three populations and estimated the number of alleles and levels of observed and expected heterozygosity. Expected heterozygosity levels ranged from 0.000 to 0.594, 0.000 to 1.000, and 0.000 to 0.744 in the three populations, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These transcriptome‐derived simple sequence repeat markers are highly polymorphic and can be widely used in characterization of the endangered P. dubium. Population genetic studies with these markers will provide valuable insights for conservation by unraveling evolutionary patterns of P. dubium.