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Background Availability of molecular markers has proven to be an efficient tool in facilitating progress in plant breeding, which is particularly important in the case of less researched crops such as cotton. Considering the obvious advantages of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and insertion-deletion polymorphisms (InDels), expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were analyzed in silico to identify SNPs and InDels in this study, aiming to develop more molecular markers in cotton. Results A total of 1,349 EST-based SNP and InDel markers were developed by comparing ESTs between Gossypium hirsutum and G. barbadense, mining G. hirsutum unigenes, and analyzing 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) sequences. The marker polymorphisms were investigated using the two parents of the mapping population based on the single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis. Of all the markers, 137 (10.16%) were polymorphic, and revealed 142 loci. Linkage analysis using a BC1 population mapped 133 loci on the 26 chromosomes. Statistical analysis of base variations in SNPs showed that base transitions accounted for 55.78% of the total base variations and gene ontology indicated that cotton genes varied greatly in harboring SNPs ranging from 1.00 to 24.00 SNPs per gene. Sanger sequencing of three randomly selected SNP markers revealed discrepancy between the in silico predicted sequences and the actual sequencing results. Conclusions In silico analysis is a double-edged blade to develop EST-SNP/InDel markers. On the one hand, the designed markers can be well used in tetraploid cotton genetic mapping. And it plays a certain role in revealing transition preference and SNP frequency of cotton genes. On the other hand, the developmental efficiency of markers and polymorphism of designed primers are comparatively low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Cotton is the dominant textile crop and also serves as an important oil crop. An estimated 15% economic loss associated with cotton production in China has been caused by diseases, and no resistance genes have been cloned in this crop. Molecular markers developed from resistance gene homologues (RGHs) might be tightly linked with target genes and could be used for marker-assisted selection (MAS) or gene cloning. Results To genetically map expressed RGHs, 100 potential pathogenesis-related proteins (PRPs) and 215 resistance gene analogs (RGAs) were identified in the cotton expressed sequence tag database, and 347 specific primers were developed. Meanwhile, 61 cotton genome-derived RGA markers and 24 resistance gene analog polymorphism (RGAP) markers from published papers were included to view their genomic distribution. As a result, 38 EST-derived and 17 genome-derived RGH markers were added to our interspecific genetic map. These 55 markers were distributed on 18 of the 26 cotton chromosomes, with 34 markers on 6 chromosomes (Chr03, Chr04, Chr11, Chr17, Chr19 and Chr26). Homologous RGHs tended to be clustered; RGH clusters appeared on 9 chromosomes, with larger clusters on Chr03, Chr04 and Chr19, which suggests that RGH clusters are widely distributed in the cotton genome. Expression analysis showed that 19 RGHs were significantly altered after inoculation with the V991 stain of Verticillium dahliae. Comparative mapping showed that four RGH markers were linked with mapped loci for Verticillium wilt resistance. Conclusions The genetic mapping of RGHs confirmed their clustering in cotton genome. Expression analysis and comparative mapping suggest that EST-derived RGHs participate in cotton resistance. RGH markers are seemed to be useful tools to detected resistance loci and identify candidate resistance genes in cotton. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, endogenously expressed, non-coding RNA molecules involved in gene transcription and expression that combine with specific mRNA site of target genes to inhibit protein synthesis or degrade mRNA. Since the first plant miRNA was reported in 2002, numerous new miRNAs and their targets have been discovered via highthroughput sequencing and computational approaches. However, the genetic variation of miRNA genes is poorly understood due to the lack of miRNA-specific DNA markers. Results To study the genetic variation and map miRNAs and their putative target genes in cotton, we designed specific primers based on pre-miRNAs and published putative target genes. A total of 83 pre-miRNA primers and 1,255 putative target gene primers were surveyed, and 9 premiRNA polymorphic loci were mapped on 7 of the 26 tetraploid cotton chromosomes. Furthermore, 156 polymorphic loci of the target genes were mapped on the cotton genome. To map more miRNA loci, miRNA-based SRAP (sequence-related amplified polymorphism) markers were used to map an additional 54 polymorphic loci on the cotton genome with the exception of Chr01, Chr22, and Chr24. Finally, a network between miRNAs and their targets was constructed. All pre-miRNAs and 98 putative target genes were selected for RT-PCR analysis, revealing unique expression patterns across different fiber development stages between the mapping parents. Conclusions Our data provide an overview of miRNAs, their putative targets, and their network in cotton as well as comparative expression analyses between Gossypium hirsutum and G. barbadense. These data provide a foundation for understanding miRNA regulation during cotton fiber development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]