Abstract: Expressed sequence tags (EST), which have been increasing rapidly in number recently, provide important resources for the development of molecular markers. As a novel type of molecular tool, EST-SSRs have not only conventional markers advantages, but also have remarkable advantages such as being easy to develop, more informative, and highly transferable. EST-SSRs have been used in plant and animal research fields. In the present paper, we give a brief introduction about characteristics and development steps of EST-SSR technique. Moreover, its application in animal species and prospects are reviewed.

Key words: expressed sequence tags; microsatellite; EST-SSR; genetic breeding 