In situ hybridization as a rapid means to assess meiotic pairing and detection of alien DNA transfers in interphase cells of wide crosses involving wheat and rye

Summary The objectives of this study were to determine if biotin-labelled total genomic DNA of rye (Secale cereale L.) could be used to (i) preferentially label rye meiotic chromosomes in triticale and (ii) detect translocation stocks at interphase and/or early prophase by in situ hybridization. Welsh triticale, a wheat-rye segmental amphiploid, and Kavkaz wheat, a wheat-rye translocation were used. The results indicated that labelled chromosomes of rye and unlabelled chromosomes of wheat could be observed throughout all meiotic stages in the triticale. For Kavkaz wheat, the presence of the translocated 1RS chromosome arm of rye was detected at the interphase or very early prophase stage. Rapid assessment of feasibility of gene transfers and detection of alien DNA in somatic cells at the interphase stage by in situ hybridization allows for rapid decision-making and saves time and expense in plant breeding programs.Plant Research Centre Contribution No. 1276     

Nucleolar organizer activity in wheat,rye and derivatives analyzed by a silver-staining procedure

Nucleolar activity was analyzed in wheat (Triticum sp.), rye (Secale cereale) and several types of wheat-rye derivatives using a modified, highly reproducible, silver staining procedure (Lacadena et al. 1984). A comparative analysis of the nucleolar organizer regions (NORs) of somatic metaphase chromosomes was made by phase contrast, C-banding, and silver staining. The frequency distribution of the number of nucleoli visualized at interphase by silver staining was also used to infer the activity of NORs. The results agree quite well with data from in situ hybridization reported by other authors. The behavior of euploid, ditelosomic and nulli-tetrasomic plants of common wheat showed the relative nucleolar activity of the four organizer chromosomes to be: 6B > 1B > 5D > 1A. — Several types of wheat-rye derivatives were analyzed: interspecific hybrid, triticale, addition and substitution lines, and plants with the genome constitutions, AABBDR, ABDR + 5D, ABRR, and ABRRR. In all cases the nucleolar organizer chromosome 1R of rye was suppressed by the presence of wheat chromosomes.     

Identification of Alien Chromatin and Ribosomal DNA in Wheat by in Situ Hybridization

In situ hybridization was carried out to somatic cells of hexaploid Triticale “Badger”, lB/IR translocation line “Ning 8026” and IR(ID) substitution line “84056-1-36-1” using biotin-labelled total rye genomic DNA and wheat rDNA as probes, the results were as follows: 1. The probe containing the total genomic DNA from rye hybridized to the entire length of all rye chromosomes, as a result of the formation of a brown precipitate over the sites of hybridization, the rye chromosomes could be distinguished from wheat chromosomes counterstained by Wright’s solution, the distinguishable appearance of the wheat and rye chromosomes resulted in an efficient method of detecting rye chromosome or segments in wheat. 2. When the probe PTA 71 containing wheat ribosomal DNA was used to hybridize to somatic chromosomes of "Badger" and “84056-1-36-1”, six signals in “Badger” and eight in “84056-1-36-1” were observed on lB, 6B, 1R and SD, among which lB and 6B showed large in situ signals corresponding to many copies of the genes. 3. The expression behavior of wheat rDNA was found in interphase cells by in situ hybridization.     

The control of wheat malate dehydrogenase by rye chromosomes

A quantitative analysis of malate dehydrogenase isozymes has been carried out in a hexaploid wheat Triticum aestivum variety Holdfast, a diploid rye Secale cereale variety King II, a series of seven addition lines each having the Holdfast wheat chromosome complement, and also a different homologous pair of King II rye chromosomes. In young shoots of three of these addition lines grown in a defined salts medium lacking sucrose, at least one isozyme activity was elevated. This did not occur in shoots grown in a medium containing 0.5% sucrose or in the Triticale possessing the full wheat and rye chromosomal complements grown in the absence of exogenous sucrose. On the basis of cellular localization and substrate inhibition studies, the particular isozyme activities enhanced by the rye chromosomes were indistinguishable from isozyme activities in Holdfast wheat and dissimilar to all malate dehydrogenase isozyme activities observed in King II rye. These results suggest that three different rye chromosomes produce gene products which can interact with the wheat malate dehydrogenase regulatory system.     

Conversion of a RAPD-generated PCR product,containing a novel dispersed repetitive element,into a fast and robust assay for the presence of rye chromatin in wheat

Bulk segregant analysis was used to obtain a random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) marker specific for the rye chromosome arm of the 1BL.1RS translocation, which is common in many high-yielding bread wheat varieties. The RAPD-generated band was cloned and end-sequenced to allow the construction of a pair of oligonucleotide primers that PCR-amplify a DNA sequence only in the presence of rye chromatin. The amplified sequence shares a low level of homology to wheat and barley, as judged by the low strength of hybridization of the sequence to restriction digests of genomic DNA. Genetic analysis showed that the amplified sequence was present on every rye chromosome and not restricted to either the proximal or distal part of the 1RS arm. In situ hybridization studies using the amplified product as probe also showed that the sequence was dispersed throughout the rye genome, but that the copy number was greatly reduced, or the sequence was absent at both the centromere and the major sites of heterochromatin (telomere and nucleolar organizing region). The probe, using both Southern blot and in situ hybridization analyses, hybridized at a low level to wheat chromosomes, and no hybridizing restriction fragments could be located to individual wheat chromosomes from the restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) profiles of wheat aneuploids. The disomic addition lines of rye chromosomes to wheat shared a similar RFLP profile to one another. The amplified sequence does not contain the RIS 1 sequence and therefore represents an as yet undescribed dispersed repetitive sequence. The specificity of the amplification primers is such that they will provide a useful tool for the rapid detection of rye chromatin in a wheat background. Additionally, the relatively low level of cross-hybridization to wheat chromatin should allow the sequence to be used to analyse the organization of rye euchromatin in interphase nuclei of wheat lines carrying chromosomes, chromosome segments or whole genomes derived from rye.     

含有抗白粉病基因的黑麦染色体小片段向小麦的转移

利用感白粉病的小麦品种绵阳11的纯系和黑麦自交系R12杂交, 在其单体附加系自交后代的BC₁F₅株系中选择小麦－黑麦异源易位系。根据已报道的黑麦特异重复序列pSc20H设计了一对特异引物, 用PCR方法鉴定了300个单体附加系的自交BC₁F₅株系,发现其中70个株系含有黑麦染色体成分。一个来源于6R单体附加系的小麦株系96Ⅱ691-830-98表现了对白粉病的高度抗性, PCR方法鉴定证明其含有黑麦染色体成分。对该株系作进一步的基因组原位杂交(GISH)鉴定, 证明它的一对染色体的端部含有黑麦染色体的小片段。这一结果指出, 含有抗白粉病基因的黑麦染色体6R小片段被引入了小麦。研究表明利用单体附加诱导染色体小片段易位是一种有效的方法。利用PCR和GISH原位杂交相结合的方法可提高检测外源染色体小片段的准确性和选择效率。     

Interphase chromosome arrangement in Anopheles atroparvus

The arrangement of chromosomes in interphase nuclei of Anopheles atroparvus has been inferred from an analysis of: 1. The early stages of mitosis as seen following Quinacrine staining, and 2. The reversible effects on the chromatin pattern obtained following the treatment of living cells with various NaCl solutions, and the following conclusions have been reached: (a) The chromatin is connected to the nuclear membrane, (b) Homologous chromosomes show close side-by-side somatic pairing, (c) The long arms of the sex chromosomes form a fluorescent peripheral body, (d) The autosomes are strongly reflexed at the centromeres, (e) The autosomal centromeric regions are polarized towards the peripheral body, (f) The telomeric regions of all the autosomes are closely apposed.--A ring-shaped pattern of interphase chromatin is constantly and reversibly induced by NaCl 0.15 to 0.18 M solutions.--These relationships indicate a peripheral arrangement of the interphase somatic complement.--The distribution of the chromosomes in polytene nuclei and at the beginning of meiosis resembles that suggested above for somatic interphase cells. This distribution may apply more widely in the Diptera.     

Molecular Cytogenetic Identification of Triticum aestivum-Secale cereale Substitution and Addition Lines

Two substitution lines, designated as 930498 and 930483, and one addition line, designated as 930029, via Fo immature embryo culture of Triticum aestivum x octoploid triticale ( x Triti-cosecale Wittmack) were identified. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using total genomic DNA of rye ( Secale cereale L. ) as probe corroborated the existence of rye chromosomes, further confirmed through chromosome paring at meiotic metaphase 1, C-banding and glutenin SDS- PAGE. The results demonstrated that the two substitution lines are ID/IR, and the addition line is also IR addition. Rye chromosomes that are distinct to the red-colored wheat chromosomes appear yellow-green at mitotic metaphase after FISH.     

Development and application of EST-based markers specific for chromosome arms of rye (Secale cereale L.)

To develop a set of molecular markers specific for the chromosome arms of rye, a total of 1,098 and 93 primer pairs derived from the expressed sequence tag (EST) sequences distributed on all 21 wheat chromosomes and 7 rye chromosomes, respectively, were initially screened on common wheat 'Chinese Spring' and rye cultivar 'Imperial'. Four hundred and fourteen EST-based markers were specific for the rye genome. Seven disomic chromosome addition lines, 10 telosomic addition lines and 1 translocation line of 'Chinese Spring-Imperial' were confirmed by genomic in situ hybridization and fluorescencein situ hybridization, and used to screen the rye-specific markers. Thirty-one of the 414 markers produced stable specific amplicons in 'Imperial', as well as individual addition lines and were assigned to 13 chromosome arms of rye except for 6RS. Six rye cultivars, wheat cultivar 'Xiaoyan 6' and accessions of 4 wheat relatives were then used to test the specificity of the 31 EST-based markers. To confirm the specificity, 4 wheat-rye derivatives of 'Xiaoyan 6 × German White', with chromosomes 1RS, 2R and 4R, were amplified by some of the EST-based markers. The results indicated that they can effectively be used to detect corresponding rye chromosomes or chromosome arms introgressed into a wheat background, and hence to accelerate the utilization of rye genes in wheat breeding.     

Condensation of rye chromatin in somatic interphase nuclei of Ph1 and ph1b wheat

The Ph1 locus in hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) enforces diploid-like behavior in the first metaphase of meiosis. To test the hypothesis that this chromosome pairing control is exercised by affecting the degree of chromatin condensation, the dispersion of rye chromatin in interphase nuclei in somatic tissues of wheat-rye chromosome translocations 1RS.1BL, 2RS.2BL, 2BS.2RL, 3RS.3DL and 5RS.5BL was compared in Ph1 and ph1b isogenic backgrounds. No significant differences in rye chromatin condensation that could be attributed to the Ph1 locus were detected. Regardless of the Ph1 status, each rye chromosome arm tested conformed to the general Rabl's orientation and occupied portions of the nuclei proportional to their length. Earlier observations that indicated the involvement of Ph1 locus in rye chromatin condensation in wheat could have been due either to specific loci on the studied 5RL rye arm that control the chromosome condensation process or to damage to the genetic system controlling chromatin condensation in the existing ph1b stocks of wheat. That damage might have been caused by homoeologous recombination and uneven disjunction of chromosomes from multivalents.     

Chiasma distribution in rye chromosomes of diploid rye and in wheat/rye addition lines in relation to C-heterochromatin

Summary In five genetically different inbred lines of rye and in the seven Chinese Spring/Imperial wheatrye addition lines, chiasma distribution in rye chromosomes was studied with respect to the amount and position of constitutive heterochromatin (Giemsa C-bands). In all inbred lines, rye chromosomes with one primary terminal band were more frequently found as univalents than those with primary bands on both telomeres. These chromosomes were most probably 5R and/or 6R. In the addition lines a highly significant reduction in the number of arms bound by chiasmata was found for rye chromosomes 5R and 6R. Because of the similar chiasma distribution in the inbred lines and in the rye chromosomes of the addition lines, no effect of the wheat genome on the number of chiasmata in the rye chromosomes can be ascertained. However, a relationship between chiasma frequency and chromosome arm length seems to exist, since under reduced chiasma conditions the two shortest arms of the rye complement, those of chromosomes 5R and 6R, frequently fail to form a chiasma. No effect of the large blocks of constitutive heterochromatin in the telomeres of the rye chromosomes on the position of chiasmata within a bivalent could be established.This study was financially supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft     

黑麦基因组中不同染色体在缺磷胁迫下对普通小麦根系分泌酸性磷酸酯酶(Acph)遗传效应的研究

以一整套中国春－帝国黑麦二体附加系为材料,通过在低磷胁迫下对其根系分泌Ａｃｐｈ 能力测定及同工酶等电聚焦分析证明：缺磷胁迫是Ａｃｐｈ基因表达的诱导因子,帝国黑麦不同染色体在中国春小麦背景中对其根系在低磷胁迫下 Ａｃｐｈ的分泌具不同的正效应,其中以 １Ｒ 染色体的效应最为强烈, Ａｃｐｈ等电聚焦（ＩＥＦ）的酶谱清楚地表明黑麦的１Ｒ染色体上携有在缺磷胁迫下诱导表达的Ａｃｐｈ基因。     

Production of wheat-rye substitution lines based on winter rye cultivars with karyotype identification by means of C-banding, GISH, and SSR markers

The study presents a continuation of the research aimed at producing of wheat-rye substitution lines based on the cross (Triticum aestivum L. x Secale sereale L.) x Triticum aestivum L., and using winter rye cultivars Vyatka and Vietnamskaya Mestnaya. In BC1F5 two lines were identified, having karyotypes in which a pair of homologous wheat chromosomes was substituted by a homeologous pair of rye chromosomes. The chromosome composition of these lines was analyzed using C-banding, GISH, and SSR markers. It was demonstrated that karyotype of each line included a single pair of rye chromosomes and lacked wheat-rye translocations. The rye chromosomes were identified, and the chromosomes of wheat, at which the substitutions occurred, were determined. The lines generated by crosses with rye of Vyatka and Vietnamskaya Mestnaya cultivars were designated 1Rv(1A) and 5Rviet(5A), respectively. Chromosome identification and classification of the lines makes it possible to use them in breeding programs and genetic studies.     

Analysis of the rye chromosome constitution and the amount of telomeric heterochromatin in the widely and narrowly adapted hexaploid triticales

Summary Investigations were made on the rye chromosome constitution and on the presence of telomeric heterochromatin in rye chromosomes of the 26 most widely and 24 most narrowly adapted triticale strains. Among widely adapted lines, 22 (85%) had a complete rye genome and four triticales only had chromosomal R-D genome substitutions. Twenty-three (96%) of the 24 most narrowly adapted triticales had substitutions between the chromosomes of the R and D genomes. The most widely adapted triticales accumulated fewer modified rye chromosomes in comparison to narrowly adapted lines. They had from one to three rye chromosomes with heterochromatic deletions: 46% of widely adapted lines had two modified rye chromosomes; 34% had three modified rye chromosomes, and 19% had a single modified rye chromosome. In widely adapted strains, the 1R, 4R, 5R and 6R modified chromosomes were observed; they were present in 80%, 73%, 50% and 11% of the cases, respectively. The most narrowly adapted triticales had from two to four modified rye chromosomes: 58% of the strains had three modified rye chromosomes; 29% had four modified rye chromosomes and 12% had two modified rye chromosomes. The modified 4R and 5R chromosomes were present in all of these lines. The 1R (modified), 6R (modified) and 7R (modified) were found in 83%, 25% and 16%, respectively, of the narrowly adapted strains.Results support the previous observations (Pilch 1980b) that a wide adaptation of hexaploid triticales is associated with the presence of the full potential of rye genome, and that it is independent of the amount of telomeric heterochromatin possessed by rye chromosomes.     

The chromosomal location of rye AFLP bands

23 AFLP bands were assigned to different rye chromosomes by means of two different sets of wheat-rye addition lines. Only one AFLP band could be assigned to 4R, and no specific AFLPs were found on the 5R chromosome. Only one AFLP band was explicitly assigned to 4R, and no specific AFLPs were found on the 5R chromosome. At least seven co-migrating AFLPs showed the same chromosomal location in both sets of addition lines. A total of 22 AFLPs were assigned to chromosome 1R using wheat-rye substitution lines. Six of them have counterparts in one of the addition lines analyzed, but only four have the same chromosomal location. Six and four of the total AFLPs located using addition (23) and substitution (22) lines segregated in the mapping population DS2 x RXL10, but only six were simultaneously assigned to the same chromosome by both approaches. Although co-migrating AFLPs could be located on different rye chromosomes using addition and substitution lines, we believe that AFLPs can be useful as rye chromosome markers.     

A family of endosperm globulins encoded by genes located in group 1 chromosomes of wheat and related species

Summary A new group of proteins soluble in salt solutions and organic solvents (70% ethanol and chloroform-methanol mixtures), but not in water, has been isolated from wheat and rye endosperm. The molecular weights (23–26 kDa) and amino acid compositions of the different fractions characterized suggest a high degree of homology among the major components of the fractions in wheat and rye. Compensating nulli-tetrasomic and ditelosomic lines of hexaploid wheat have been analysed by two-dimensional electrophoresis and genes for these proteins have been assigned to the short arms of chromosomes 1 A, 1 B and 1 D. A similar analysis of Triticum aestivum/Secale cereale and T. aestivum/Agropyron elongatum addition and substitution lines has shown that genes for the corresponding globulins are located in the short arms of group 1 chromosomes of these species.     

Identification and chromosomal organization of two rye genome-specific RAPD products useful as introgression markers in wheat.

Two rye genome-specific random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were identified for detection of rye introgression in wheat. Both markers were amplified in all of the tested materials that contained rye chromatin such as rye, hexaploid triticale, wheat-rye addition lines, and wheat varieties with 1BL.1RS translocation. Two cloned markers, designated pSc10C and pSc20H, were 1012 bp and 1494 bp, respectively. Sequence analysis showed that both pSc10C and pSc20H fragments were related to retrotransposons, ubiquitously distributed in plant genomes. Using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), probe pSc10C was shown to hybridize predominantly to the pericentromeric regions of all rye chromosomes, whereas probe pSc20H was dispersed throughout the rye genome except at telomeric regions and nucleolar organizing regions. The FISH patterns showed that the two markers should be useful to select or track all wheat-rye translocation lines derived from the whole arms of rye chromosomes, as well as to characterize the positions of the translocation breakpoints generated in the proximal and distal regions of rye arms.     

Inter- and intra-genomic transfer of small chromosomal segments in wheat-rye allopolyploids

Newly synthesized wheat-rye allopolyploids, derived from Triticum aestivum Mianyang11 × S. cereale Kustro, were investigated by sequential fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and genomic in situ hybridization (GISH) using rye tandem repeat pSc200 and rye genomic DNA as probes, respectively, over the first, second and third allopolyploid generations. FISH signals of pSc200 could be observed at both telomeres/subtelomeres of all 14 chromosomes of the parental rye. In the first allopolyploid generation, there were ten rye chromosomes bearing FISH signals at both telomeres/subtelomeres and four rye chromosomes bearing FISH signals at only one telomere/subtelomere. However, in the second and the third allopolyploid generations, there were 12 rye chromosomes bearing FISH signals at both telomeres/subtelomeres and 2 rye chromosomes bearing FISH signals at only one telomere/subtelomere. Rye telomeric segments were transferred to the centromeric region of wheat chromosomes in some cells and small segments derived from non-telomeric regions of rye chromosome were transferred to the telomeric region of wheat chromosomes in some other cells. These observations indicated that the rye telomeric/subtelomeric region was unstable in newly synthesized wheat-rye allopolyploids and allopolyploidization was accompanied by rapid inter/intra-genomic exchange. The inter-genomic exchange may have occurred in somatic cells.     

Homoeologous relationship between wheat and rye chromosomes. Present status

The work on methods for determining the homoeologous relationship between wheat and rye chromosomes has been reviewed. The results obtained for rye chromosomes belonging to different homoeologous groups have been discussed. It is proposed that chromosome 3R of Lee et al. (1969) should be designated as 1R/3R. It is pointed out that homoeology of all seven rye chromosomes may not be known in the future also, due to translocations. It is, therefore, suggested that Secale montanum should be used instead of S. cereale. Future lines of work have been suggested.