Premise of the study: The current study aimed at developing nuclear
microsatellite markers for the relict tree species Zelkova carpinifolia, which
is threatened in its natural range in the South Caucasus. Methods and Results:
Pyrosequencing of an enriched microsatellite library on the Roche FLX platform
using the 454 Titanium kit produced 86,058 sequence reads, most of which
contained short tandem repeats. Eighty microsatellite loci identified using
the software package QDD version 1 were selected and tested for proper PCR
amplification. Of these, 13 allowed proper amplification and were shown to be
polymorphic among a sample of 25 Z. carpinifolia specimens from various
geographic origins. Conclusions: The set of microsatellite markers will be
suitable for the assessment of genetic diversity in Z. carpinifolia. They will
allow for an examination of phylogeographic patterns as well as of population
structure and gene flow within this species
