Department of Life Science, II University of Naples, Via Vivaldi, 43, 81100, Caserta, Italy.
Mol Biol Rep. 2012 Apr;39(4):3409-18. doi: 10.1007/s11033-011-1112-8. Epub 2011 Jul 2.
Long terminal repeat (LTR)-retrotransposons are mobile genetic elements that are ubiquitous in plants and constitute a major portion of their nuclear genomes. LTR- retrotransposons possess unique properties that make them appropriate for investigating relationships between populations, varieties and closely related species. Myrtus communis L. is an evergreen shrub growing spontaneously throughout the Mediterranean area. Accessions show significant variations for agriculturally important traits, so the development of specific molecular markers for conservation and characterization of myrtle germplasm is desirable to conserve biodiversity. In this study, we isolated the first retrotransposon Ty1-copia-like element (Tmc1) in Myrtus communis L. genome and used this as a molecular marker. We successfully employed the S-SAP marker system to specifically characterize four myrtle accessions belonging to different areas in the province of Caserta (Italy). The high level of polymorphism detected in isolated LTRs, make Tmc1 a good molecular marker for this species. Our findings confirm that retrotransposon-based molecular markers are particularly valuable tools for plant molecular characterization studies.
长末端重复（LTR）-逆转录转座子是广泛存在于植物中的移动遗传元件，构成了它们核基因组的主要部分。LTR-逆转录转座子具有独特的性质，使其成为研究种群、品种和密切相关物种之间关系的合适工具。桃金娘科常绿灌木在整个地中海地区自然生长。品种表现出对农业重要性状的显著变异，因此开发特定的分子标记来保护和表征桃金娘科植物种质资源以保护生物多样性是可取的。在这项研究中，我们在桃金娘科 L. 基因组中分离出第一个 Ty1-copia-like 逆转录转座子（Tmc1），并将其用作分子标记。我们成功地采用了 S-SAP 标记系统来特异性地表征属于意大利卡塞塔省不同地区的四个桃金娘科品种。在分离的 LTR 中检测到的高水平多态性使 Tmc1 成为该物种的良好分子标记。我们的研究结果证实，基于逆转录转座子的分子标记是植物分子特征研究的特别有价值的工具。
