Identification of total microsatellites in the genome of the Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia L.) using whole genome sequencing data

Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia L.) is a drought-tolerant, nitrogen-fixing and forest pioneer plant species that is widely cultivated in regions with water scarcity. Comprehensive knowledge at the DNA level is essential for facilitating breeding and genetic conservation efforts for this species. However, the genome and simple sequence repeat (SSR) information of this species are currently unavailable, limiting the application of molecular markers for breeding and germplasm evaluation. This study was conducted to discover the microsatellites (SSRs) of the Russian olive genome. Leaf samples were collected from trees in the urban area of Tabriz city, East Azerbaijan province, northwest Iran, and performed whole genome sequencing using the Illumina platform in pair-end mode. After quality trimming and data assembly, the MISA tool was used to identify all the SSRs in the genome. We also compared the SSR profiles of the Russian olive with those of five other deciduous broadleaf trees and discussed their implications. The results indicated that the estimated genome size of the Russian olive was about 553.696 Mb, with an N50 value of 5300 for the assembled contigs. We detected a total of 359929 SSRs in the Russian olive genome, among which A/T (223495, 62.09%) and AT/AT (48294, 13.42%) were the most abundant repeat units. Single and double nucleotide SSRs are abundant in the Russian olive genome.