1R chromosome nucleolus organizer region activation by 5-azacytidine in wheat × rye hybrids

Abstract

Nucleolar activity was studied in several lines of Triticum aestivum cv. Chinese Spring, Triticum turgidum cv. Durum, and F1 hybrids from euploid and aneuploid lines of T. aestivum and Secale cereale cv. Centeio do Alto, in cells from root tips of seeds germinated in water or in 5-azacytidine. 5-Azacytidine, an analog of cytidine modified in the 5 position of the pyrimidine ring, inhibits DNA methylation. By using silver staining to determine the number of nucleolus organizer regions and the average number of nucleoli per root-tip cell from seeds germinated in both situations, it became apparent that the presence of 5-azacytidine during germination allowed for the expression of the nucleolus organizer region locus belonging to the rye genome, in contrast to the usual observed cytological absence of the rye nucleolus organizer region in wheat–rye hybrids. It is suggested that wheat nucleolar dominance in wheat–rye hybrids is mainly a consequence of methylation of rRNA genes or its regulators located on the 1R chromosome of rye.Key words: 1R nucleolar organizer, wheat–rye hybrids, methylation, Ag-NOR.