Inter-Simple Sequence Repeats (ISSR), Microsatellite-Primed Genomic Profiling Using Universal Primers

Inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers are highly polymorphic, relatively easy to develop, and inexpensive compared to other methods and have numerous applications. Importantly, the same ISSR primers can potentially be used universally across plant phylogenetic diversity. The basic technique of ISSRs is flexible and can be modified with options for implementation for a broad range of projects and budgets. Ranked in increasing order of technical demand and costs, these are manual agarose and manual polyacrylamide with silver staining and automated using fluorescently labeled primers and capillary electrophoresis. Overall manual agarose-based ISSRs are a sound, safe, easy, and low-cost method for reliably inferring plant genetic diversity. Here, we provide detailed protocols to undertake this fingerprinting method and provide guidance to the literature for the many options available for this technique.