Molecular markers, II.: Microsatellites

Molecular markers microsatellites, alternatively known as simple sequence repeats (SSRs), short tandem repeats (STR) or variable number tandem repeats (VNTR) are tandem repeats of short oligonucleotides sequence, which contains less than 5 bp. Due to their hypervariability, co-dominance effect and reproducibility, they are useful for genome mapping, population genetic studies, marker-assisted selection, fingerprinting, pedigree analysis variety identification, forensic identification and relatedness testing. Different molecular markers have been developed on the basis of microsatellites. This paper discusses the polymorphism, frequency and distribution of microsatellites in genomic and chloroplast DNA, their detection by hybridization and on the basis of the PCR products and their application. The short overview of lab technique and comparison of microsatellites with the other molecular markers are presented. Some advantages and disadvantages of microsatellies are also briefly reviewed.