A new nuclear DNA marker from ubiquitin ligase gene region for genetic diversity detection of walnut germplasm resources

• Sensitive DNA markers for identification of plant species are highly desirable.
• Ubiquitin ligase gene region was first found to be useful for DNA marker development.
• Ubiquitin ligase gene region will be another good source for DNA marker development.
• Our methodology will improve evaluation and conservation of plant genetic diversity.

Development of more sensitive nuclear DNA markers for identification of species, particularly closely allied taxa has been a challenging task that has attracted interest from scientists in fields of biotechnological development and genetic diversity detection. In this study, the sequence of the ubiquitin ligase gene (UBE3) region of nuclear DNA was tested for applicability and efficacy in revealing genetic diversity of walnut resources, with an emphasis on inter- and intra-specific levels. Analysis on genetic relationship among the taxa was conducted with the neighbor-joining (NJ) method. The number of variable bases in the UBE3 region was 20 sites. All nine taxa (species/variety/cultivars) were distinguished using the UBE3 sequence. In addition, each taxon was characterized molecularly with a unique nucleotide molecular formula using ten variable base sites derived from the nuclear DNA UBE3 gene sequence. This study presents a good complementary methodology for developing new DNA markers for identification of genus Juglans.