Isolation and characterization of polymorphic microsatellite markers from European pear (Pyrus communis L.)

This study reports the development and characterization of 19 microsatellite primer pairs developed from genomic DNA of European pear (Pyrus communis) and their transferability to other Pyrus and Malus material. The primers were designed from two different genomic libraries enriched for di- and trinucleotide repeats. When tested in six P. communis cultivars and 15 other Pyrus species, 13 primers revealed single-locus polymorphism and six showed more complex patterns that suggest multiple loci. Two to 18 alleles were detected per locus and two primer pairs were sufficient to discriminate all accessions. Transferability of nine primer pairs to Malus was demonstrated through amplification of discrete products in two accessions.