Transferability of tomato SSR markers to eggplants and other Solanaceous vegetables

【Objective】Tomato genome was sequenced and a large number of SSR markers could be obtained. Cross-species amplification of tomato SSR markers will be an economic method to add up the number of robust SSR markers in eggplant and Solanaceous vegetables. 【Method】 This study tested a large set of tomato SSR markers on eggplant and other Solanaceous vegetables by close relative species transfer method. 【Result and conclusion】 887 out of 1046 tested tomato SSR markers could successfully amplify on eggplants, but only 425 produced very similar bands on tomatoes and eggplants, giving a transfer rate of 40.6%. EST-SSR markers were found to be more transferable than genomic SSR markers (54.5 and 38.9% respectively). 414 transferable SSR markers were mapped electronically onto tomato genome and their distribution on individual chromosomes highly varied. 93 SSR markers showed polymorphism on two eggplant parents used for genetic map construction. When testing 425 cross-species SSR markers on potatoes, peppers and lycium, the transferability rates were 96.2%, 78.1% and 54.1%, respectively.