Development of microsatellite markers for the endangered Pedicularis ishidoyana (Orobanchaceae) using next-generation sequencing1

PREMISE OF THE STUDY Microsatellite primers were developed for Pedicularis ishidoyana (Orobanchaceae), an endangered and hemiparasitic plant that is narrowly endemic to Korea. Because its populations are threatened by loss of suitable habitat, conservation efforts are required. METHODS AND RESULTS We developed polymorphic microsatellite loci through reference mapping of 300-bp paired-end reads obtained from Illumina MiSeq data. In all, 74 primer pairs were designed and 32 were amplified. Of these, 18 pairs were polymorphic, with two to six alleles each occurring in 26 individual plants. Expected and observed heterozygosities ranged from 0.142 to 0.703 and from 0.077 to 0.615, respectively. CONCLUSIONS These microsatellite markers are expected to be useful for studies of the population genetics of P. ishidoyana.