Microsatellite markers in the traditional Chinese medicinal herb Gynostemma pentaphyllum (Cucurbitaceae).

Premise of the study: Microsatellite primers were developed for Gynostemma pentaphyllum, a traditional Chinese medicinal herb, to investigate its population genetic diversity. Methods and Results: Using the Microsatellite Sequence Enrichment protocol, 14 polymorphic primers sets were identified in four Chinese Gynostemma pentaphyllum populations. The primers amplified di- and trinucleotide repeats with 1-6 alleles per locus, and the observed heterozygosities ranged from 0.000 to 1.000 per population. Conclusions: These markers will facilitate further studies on genetic structure and gene flow of Gynostemma pentaphyllum populations.