Submitted to: Molecular Ecology Notes
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: October 15, 2004
Publication Date: March 1, 2005
Citation: Kim, K.S., Sappington, T.W. 2005. Polymorphic microsatellite loci from the western corn rootworm (Insecta: Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) and cross-amplification with other Diabrotica spp. Molecular Ecology Notes. 5:115-117. Interpretive Summary: Corn rootworms are a group of related insects that attack corn, causing over $1-billion in losses each year in the U.S. They have developed resistance to crop rotation and to many insecticides, and it is feared they may become resistant to transgenic [Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)] corn as well. Thus, there is growing urgency to understand the genetics of rootworms, and molecular markers are needed for many kinds of genetics studies. We developed DNA markers called microsatellites to study variation in DNA from western corn rootworms. We report the sequences of 17 of these markers, 10 of which will be useful in future population studies of rootworms. We found that some of these markers will also work in Mexican, northern, and southern corn rootworms. The availability of these markers will be of immediate use to scientists conducting population and resistance studies of corn rootworms.
Technical Abstract: Corn rootworms (Diabrotica spp.) make up the major insect pest complex of corn in the U.S. and Europe, and there is a need for molecular markers for genetics studies. We used an enrichment strategy to develop microsatellite markers from the western corn rootworm (D. virgifera virgifera). Of 54 loci isolated, 25 were polymorphic, and of these, 17 were surveyed for variability in 59 wild individuals. In addition, the potential for cross-amplification of these microsatellites was surveyed for Mexican, northern, and southern corn rootworms. Ten microsatellite loci showed Mendelian inheritance and are likely to be useful in population genetics studies.