Isolation and characteristics of new grape microsatellites

DNA microsatellites are tandem repeats of very short nucleotide sequences that are useful as molecular markers for studies of genetic relatedness genotypes and cultivar parentage, cultivar identification and construction of molecular maps. New enrichment techniques have improved the efficiency with which microsatellites can be detected and characterised. Their usefulness in genetic studies stems from their abundance in the genome, their Mendelian inheritance, their codominant nature, their tendency to be highly polymorphic and their experimental reproducibility. Unique microsatellite markers are being developed to assist in our genetic studies of grapevine