Isolation of a new species-specific repetitive sequence from Thinopyrum elongatum and its use in the studies of alien translocations

Abstract

A new repetitive sequence that is extremely abundant and well dispersed in the Thinopyrum elongatum genome but present in low-copy number in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) has been isolated. This repeat and a Th. elongatum repeat isolated in another laboratory were used to identify cosmid genomic clones containing the repeats and, thus, putatively located on a Th. elongatum/T. aestivum translocation arm. Most of the selected cosmids contained single- or low-copy sequences, making them potentially useful in mapping studies. The repeats were used in deletion mapping to deduce gene order of three genes located on the Th. elongatum translocation arm. In situ hybridization studies suggested that this newly identified Th. elongatum repeat is well dispersed throughout the Thinopyrum genome but present at only one location in wheat. This raises some interesting questions about the role of such repetitive elements in the evolution of grass species.