Highly informative nature of inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) sequences amplified using tri- and tetra-nucleotide primers from DNA of cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis L.).

Inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) sequences as molecular markers can lead to the detection of polymorphism and also be a new approach to the study of SSR distribution and frequency. In this study, ISSR amplification with nonanchored primer was performed in closely related cauliflower lines. Fourty-four different amplified fragments were sequenced. Sequences of PCR products are delimited by the expected motifs and number of repeats, which validates the ISSR nonanchored primer amplification technique. DNA and amino acids homology search between internal sequences and databases (i) show that the majority of the internal regions of ISSR had homologies with known sequences, mainly with genes coding for proteins implicated in DNA interaction or gene expression, which reflected the significance of amplified ISSR sequences and (ii) display long and numerous homologies with the Arabidopsis thaliana genome. ISSR amplifications revealed a high conservation of these sequences between Arabidopsis thaliana and Brassica oleracea var. botrytis. Thirty-four of the 44 ISSRs had one or several perfect or imperfect internal microsatellites. Such distribution indicates the presence in genomes of highly concentrated regions of SSR, or "SSR hot spots." Among the four nonanchored primers used in this study, trinucleotide repeats, and especially (CAA)5, were the most powerful primers for ISSR amplifications regarding the number of amplified bands, level of polymorphism, and their nature.