Genetic Diversity in Iranian Melon Populations and Hybrids Assessed by IRAP and REMAP Markers

Retrotransposons (RTNs) constitute informative molecular markers for plant species because of their ability to integrate into a multitude of loci throughout the genome and thereby generate insertional polymorphisms between individuals. In the present study, RTN-based molecular markers, IRAP (inter-retrotransposon amplified polymorphism) and REMAP (retrotransposon-microsatellite amplified polymorphism), were applied to study RTN integration events and genetic diversity in 100 melon genotypes (88 genotypes from 11 populations, three inbred lines, and 9 hybrids). A total of 94 and 262 loci were amplified using 5 IRAP and 15 REMAP primers, respectively. The percentage of polymorphic loci (PPL) in populations ranged from 39% (Zivari Shahrood) to 48% (Shadegani E). The Mantel test between IRAP and REMAP cophenetic matrices evidenced no significant correlation (r= 0.29). IRAP+REMAP-based cluster analysis using UPGMA algorithm and Dice similarity coefficient depicted 6 groups among 100 melon genotypes. AMOVA revealed the higher level of genetic variation within populations (67%) compared to among populations (33%). The mean Fst values of all groups, except for group VI, were more than 0.20, demonstrating differentiation among the populations and genetic structure of the studied melon collection.

Genetic Diversity in Iranian Melon Populations and Hybrids Assessed by IRAP and REMAP Markers Keywords:

Cucumis melo , Genetic variability , Reme1 , Retrotransposon