Primers for low-copy nuclear genes in the Melastomataceae1

PREMISE OF THE STUDY Low-copy nuclear gene primers were developed for phylogenetic studies across the Melastomataceae. METHODS AND RESULTS Total genomic libraries from eight species in the Melastomataceae along with one transcriptome were used for marker identification and primer design. Eight exon-primed intron-crossing markers were amplified with success in taxa of nine tribes in the Melastomataceae. The new markers were directly sequenced for eight samples of closely related species of Miconia (Chaenanthera clade) in the tribe Miconieae. The DNA sequences for the eight loci ranged from 660 to 818 aligned base pairs. Compared with four commonly used markers in other studies, the loci developed here had a higher number of variable sites than plastid spacers (7-16 vs. 26-45) and comparable variation to the ribosomal spacers (28-39). CONCLUSIONS The novel primer pairs should be useful for a broad range of studies of systematics and evolution in the diverse Melastomataceae.