Sedum sarmentosum is an important Chinese medicinal herb that exhibits anti-inflammatory, anti-angiogenic and anti-nociceptive properties. However, little is known about its genetic background. The first set of 14 microsatellite markers were isolated and characterized for S. sarmentosum using an SSR-enriched library. Fourteen polymorphic microsatellite markers were acquired with satisfactory amplifications and a polymorphic pattern in 48 S. sarmentosum individuals. The number of alleles ranged from 3 to 15. The observed and expected heterozygosities varied from 0.0833 to 0.8750 and 0.2168 to 0.9063, respectively. Two loci showed significant departure from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Cross-species amplification was carried out in other Sedum species. High rates of cross-species amplification were observed. The transferability value ranged from 85.7% in S. lineare to 64.3% in S. ellacombianum. These markers will be valuable for studying the genetic variation, population structure and germplasm characterization of S. sarmentosum and related Sedum species.
Keywords: Sedum sarmentosum; genetic diversity; microsatellite markers; polymorphism; transferability.