Development of SCAR markers for the DNA-based detection of the Asian long-horned beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis (Motschulsky)

DNA markers were identified for the molecular detection of the Asian long-horned beetle (ALB), Anoplophora glabripennis (Mot.), based on sequence characterized amplified regions (SCARs) derived from random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fragments. A 2,740-bp DNA fragment that was present only in ALB and not in other Cerambycids was identified after screening 230 random primers in a PCR-based assay system. Three pairs of nested 22-mer oligonucleotide primers were designed on the basis of the sequence of this fragment and were used to perform diagnostic PCR. The first pair of primers (SCAR1) amplified a single 745-bp fragment of ALB DNA, but this did not differentiate ALB from other species. The other two pairs of SCAR primers (SCAR2 and SCAR3) amplified bonds of 1,237-and 2,720-bp, respectively, that were capable of differentiating ALB from other closely related non-native and native Cerambycids, such as A. chinensis (Forster), A. malusiaca (Thomson), A. nobilis (Ganglbauer), Monochamus scutellatus (Say), Plectrodera scalotor (Fab), Superda tridentata (Olivier), and Grophisurus fasciatus (Degeer). The latter two SCAR markers could be amplified using DNA extracted from body parts of ALB such as the wing, the leg, and the antennae as well as tissues from all the developmental stages including the egg, larva, pupa, and adult. These markers were also capable of identifying ALB using the DNA extracted from frass. Our results demonstrate that the SCAR markers we have identified can be used for unambiguously identifying ALB from other closely related Cerambycids using a simple PCR procedure. Arch. Insect Biochem. Physiol. 52:193-204, 2003. (C) 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.