Wheatgrass Chromosomes Research Articles

Characterization and distribution of an interspersed repeated nucleotide sequence from Lophopyrum elongatum and mapping of a segregation-distortion factor with it

Repeated nucleotide sequence pLeUCD2 cloned from Lophopyrum elongatum is highly abundant in the genomes of diploid and polyploid wheatgrass species of genera Lophopyrum, Thinopyrum, Pseudoroegneria, Agropyron, Elymus, Elytrigia, and Pascopyrum but undetectable by Southern blot hybridization in Triticum and representative species of Dasypyrum, Hordeum, Psathyrostachys, Secale, Taeniatherum, Heteranthelium, and Leymus in the tribe Triticeae. The DNA fragment inserted in pLeUCD2 is 277 bp long and AT rich (65%), and contains numerous inverted and palindromic repeats. In situ DNA hybridization substantiated a previous hypothesis that the sequence is interspersed in the wheatgrass genomes. Heterogeneity and clustering of like repeats of the pLeUCD2 family along wheatgrass chromosomes was used to map a segregation-distortion factor, designated Sd-1, proximal to the Lr19 locus in recombinant chromosomes of L. ponticum chromosome 7Ag and wheat chromosome 7D.

A single wheatgrass chromosome reduces the concentration of barley yellow dwarf virus in wheat

SUMMARYSeedlings of a series of addition or substitution lines of wheat containing different Thinopyrum intermedium chromosomes were inoculated with the PAV and RPV serotypes of barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV). Reduced virus titres in infected plants were ascribed to a single pair of homoeologous group 7 chromosomes from Th. intermedium in the disomic addition lines L1 and TAF 2. The group 7 chromosome is associated with red pigmentation of coleoptiles, which was also observed in two lines ditelosomic for the α arm of the chromosome. However, when infected with the PAV serotype of BYDV, the ditelosomic lines had normal virus titres and it is concluded that potential determinants of BYDV resistance are located on the β arm of the Group 7 chromosome.