Development of STS markers closely linked to the vrs1 locus in barley, Hordeum vulgare

Three random amplified polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs) closely linked to the vrs1 (formerly v) locus were sequenced and converted to sequence-tagged sites (STSs). Of the three STSs, two retained the RAPD polymorphism as dominant-recessive markers between 'Kanto Nakate Gold' (KNG; a two-rowed barley) and 'Azumamugi' (AZ; a six-rowed barley), while the other was co-dominant after digestion with restriction enzymes. Six restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) linked to vrs1 were converted to six STSs. All six STSs were co-dominant between the two cultivars after digestion with restriction enzymes. A reliable protocol for small-scale DNA isolation from leaf tissue was developed. The STS markers and the small-scale DNA isolation protocol developed in this study are useful tools for mapping the vrs1 locus of barley.