Development of RAPD Markers for Studies on a Populus-Chimera

The cells in the shoot meristem of the most higher plants including the genus Populus are arranged in separate layers (L1, L2, L3 etc.). In meristems of plantchimeras cells from different genotypes coexist. A Populus-chimera (MA) was produced, by grafting of P. × canadensis ‘Marilandica’ (M) and P. maximowizcii × P. trichocarpa ‘Androscoggin’ (A). In MA the exogenous layer (L1) forms the epidermis and is derived from M while inner layers (L2, L3 etc.) descend from A. The exogenous epidermis of the periclinal chimera imposed morphological effects on leafs. For the differentiation of M and A in organs of the MA chimera we developed donor specific RAPD markers. One random 10mer primer out of 20 tested revealed the amplification of donor specific DNA bands using extract from leaf tissues of the parents that were combined using extracts from leaf tissue of the chimera. This indicates that the leaves of the MA-chimera are formed by tissues of M and A. The established procedure can be applied to investigate the presence or combination of M or A derived genotypes in other organs of the MA chimera.