Microsatellite variability among wild and cultivated hops (Humulus lupulus L.)

Hop (Humulus lupulus L.) is a dioecious perennial plant native to the northern hemisphere cultivated for its use in the brewing industry. To investigate the genetic diversity present in wild hop accessions in comparison with cultivated hops, microsatellite marker variation was assessed at four loci in 124 accessions of wild (from Europe, Asia and from North America) and cultivated (varieties and breeding lines) hops. A total of 63 alleles were identified, with an average of 15.7 alleles per locus and an average PIC of 0.64 over four loci. The average number of alleles per locus in groups of accessions ranged from 5.75 to 8.30, with the highest number detected in groups of wild hops either of European (EU) or North American (NA) origin. Accessions from NA revealed the highest number of unique alleles indicating the high diversity present in this gene pool. Cluster analysis based on the D(D) or D(SW) distance matrix divided accessions into 10 different clusters, which reflect the relationship among geographically diverse wild accessions and hop cultivars. The highest genetic differences were found between NA wild accessions, forming one distant cluster, and all the other accessions. The differentiation between European wild and cultivated accessions was revealed by PCoA based on the D(D) distance matrix and by AMOVA results. Cultivated hops differ significantly from wild ones, although most of the variability was found within groups. The molecular variances within groups of cultivated and wild hops were homogeneous, suggesting that a similar level of molecular variability is found in both groups of accessions. The analysis of allele polymorphism and of allele sequences showed that hop germplasm can be differentiated to NA and EU geographic types according to the differences of allele sizes at three loci or by the specific microsatellite repeat type at one locus. The analysis also indicates the different evolutionary dynamics and complex mutations of microsatellite sequences within loci that can be followed in the two biogeographically separated germplasms.