Isolation and Characterization of Microsatellite Markers for Eomecon chionantha, a Monotypic Species Endemic to China

Eomecon chionantha is a monotypic species endemic to subtropical China. In this study, 13 polymorphic microsatellite loci were developed from the genome of E. chionantha by magnetic bead enrichment, with biotin-labelled (AG)₁₅ and (AC)₁₅ probes. These loci were successfully amplified and displayed polymorphism. The polymorphism of each locus was screened among 24 individuals from four wild populations. Results showed that the number of alleles per locus varied from two to seven, and the observed and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.125 to 0.792 and from 0.299 to 0.691, respectively.These SSR markers will provide tools for future studies on the genetic diversity of E. chionantha populations to help clarify current geographical distribution, and contribute to the conservation and utilization of wild resources of E. chionantha in subtropical China.