EST-SSR markers derived from an elite barley cultivar (Hordeum vulgare L. 'Morex'): polymorphism and genetic marker potential.

Microsatellites or simple sequence repeats have become the markers of choice for marker-assisted selection because of their low template DNA requirement, high reproducibility, and high level of polymorphism. This study investigated a new set of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) EST-derived SSR markers designed to target gene sequences expressed during grain development, as they are more likely to be important in determining grain quality. The EST sequences (HVSMEh and HVSMEi) were derived from cDNA libraries of the elite six-rowed cultivar Morex, made from spikes harvested at 5 to 45 days after pollination. Approximately half of the 110 SSR markers derived from the ESTs were polymorphic in a panel of 8 diverse barley genotypes, with PIC values between 0.19 and 0.79. Twenty of the new markers were mapped to chromosomal locations using 2 doubled haploid populations. To demonstrate marker potential, quantitative trait locus (QTL) analyses were carried out with phenotypic data on wort beta-glucan content and beta-glucanase activity, two traits with a long history of genetic studies. Most of the EST-SSR markers mapped to within 10 cM of the cellulose synthase (HvCesA) and cellulose synthase-like (HvCslF) genes, which provides highly informative functional markers for tracking these genes in breeding programs. It was also observed that on any given chromosome, the QTL for beta-glucan content and beta-glucanase activity were rarely coincident but tended to occur in adjacent intervals along chromosomal regions, which agreed with their independent genetic basis; the adjacent localization may be important for coordination of cell wall degradation during germination and malting.