Expressed sequence tags-derived polymerase chain reaction (EST-PCR) molecular markers specific for alien chromosomes can be used to not only monitor the introgressed alien chromatin in wheat background, but also provide the evidence of the syntenic relationship between homoeologous chromosomes. In the present study, in order to develop high density and evenly distributed molecular markers specific for chromosome 6VL of Dasypyrum villosum, 297 primer pairs were designed based on the expressed sequence tags (EST) sequences, which were previously mapped in different bins of the long arms of wheat homoeologous 6AL, 6BL, and 6DL. By using the Triticum aestivum, D. villosum, T. durum-D. villosum amphiploid, and T. aestivum-D. villosum alien chromosome lines involving chromosome 6V, it was found that 32 (10.77%) primers could amplify specific bands for chromosome 6V, and 31 could be allocated to chromosome arm 6VL. These 6VL specific markers provided efficient tools for the characterization of structural variation involving the chromosome 6VL in common wheat background as well as for the selection of useful genes located on 6VL in breeding programs.
