Transferability of Psidium microsatellite loci in Myrteae (Myrtaceae): a phylogenetic signal

Myrteae is the most diverse tribe, in number of species and genera, of the family Myrtaceae, representing half of the family’s biodiversity. Analysis of universal cross-transferable genetic markers across genera/species is essential and may significantly contribute towards the better understanding of species systematics and evolution. In the present study, a total of 133 sequence-tagged microsatellite markers from Psidium guajava L. were evaluated for transferability to forty-four species of the tribe Myrteae, which represent nine different genera of the family Myrtaceae ( Myrciaria, Plinia, Pimenta, Acca , Campomanesia, Psidium, Eugenia, Syzygium , and Eucalyptus ). Cross-transferable simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were employed to evaluate the phylogenetic relationships between them. The results indicated a high level of congruence with earlier reports regarding genetic divergence and taxa clustering. An analysis to optimize the number of SSR markers was also performed, revealing that even a small amount is capable of determining the systematic positions of different genera/species of the Myrteae tribe.