Genetic diversity in Chinese modern wheat varieties revealed by microsatellite markers

Genetic diversity of 1680 modern varieties in Chinese candidate core collections was analyzed at 78 SSR loci by fluorescence detection system. A total of 1336 alleles were detected, of which 1253 alleles could be annotated into 71 loci. For these 71 loci, the alleles ranged from 4 to 44 with an average of 17.6, and the PIC values changed from 0.19 to 0.89 with an average of 0.69. (1) In the three genomes of wheat, the average genetic richness was B>A>D, and the genetic diversity indexes were B>D>A. (2) Among the seven homoeologous groups, the average genetic richness was 2=7>3>4>6>5>1, and the genetic diversity indexes were 7>3>2>4>6>5>1. As a whole, group 7 possessed the highest genetic diversity, while groups 1 and 5 were the lowest. (3) In the 21 wheat chromosomes, 7A, 3B and 2D possessed much higher genetic diversity, while 2A, 1B, 4D, 5D and 1D were the lowest. (4) The highest average genetic diversity index existed in varieties bred in the 1950s, and then it declined continually. However, the change tendency of genetic diversity among decades was not greatly sharp. This was further illustrated by changes of the average genetic distance between varieties. In the 1950s it was the largest (0.731). Since the 1960s, it has decreased gradually (0.711, 0.706, 0.696, 0.695). The genetic base of modern varieties is becoming narrower and narrower. This should be given enough attention by breeders and policy makers.     

Genetic diversity in Chinese modern wheat varieties revealed by microsatellite markers

Genetic diversity of 1680 modern varieties in Chinese candidate core collections was analyzed at 78 SSR loci by fluorescence detection system. A total of 1336 alleles were detected, of which 1253 alleles could be annotated into 71 loci. For these 71 loci, the alleles ranged from 4 to 44 with an average of 17.6, and the PIC values changed from 0.19 to 0.89 with an average of 0.69. (1) In the three genomes of wheat, the average genetic richness was B>A>D, and the genetic diversity indexes were B>D>A. (2) Among the seven homoeologous groups, the average genetic richness was 2=7>3>4>6>5>1, and the genetic diversity indexes were 7>3>2>4>6>5>1. As a whole, group 7 possessed the highest genetic diversity, while groups 1 and 5 were the lowest. (3) In the 21 wheat chromosomes, 7A, 3B and 2D possessed much higher genetic diversity, while 2A, 1B, 4D, 5D and 1D were the lowest. (4) The highest average genetic diversity index existed in varieties bred in the 1950s, and then it declined continually. However, the change tendency of genetic diversity among decades was not greatly sharp. This was further illustrated by changes of the average genetic distance between varieties. In the 1950s it was the largest (0.731). Since the 1960s, it has decreased gradually (0.711, 0.706, 0.696, 0.695). The genetic base of modern varieties is becoming narrower and narrower. This should be given enough attention by breeders and policy makers.     

罗汉松遗传多样性的SCoT分析

采用SCoT分子标记技术对8份罗汉松种质材料进行遗传多样性研究。结果表明,从80条引物中筛选出10条重复性好、条带清晰的引物进行PCR扩增,共产生136条带,其中多态性带122条(占88.97%),8个罗汉松种质间的遗传相似系数范围在0.39～0.80说明罗汉松的遗传多样性丰富。利用UPGMA进行系统的聚类分析显示,将8份罗汉松材料分为2大类;主成分分析结果与聚类分析结果相一致。可见,利用SCoT分子标记可有效的分析罗汉松种质资源的遗传多样性,为罗汉松种质亲缘关系的鉴别和分类提供理论依据。     

Genetic stability in micropropagated Cleome gynandra revealed by SCoT analysis

A newly developed and novel DNA marker technique, i.e. start codon targeted (SCoT) polymorphic markers that target plant gene regions were used to assess genetic stability of in vitro raised plants of Cleome gynandra multiplied by enhanced bud proliferation from nodal segments. Seven randomly selected micropropagated plants, following at least 2 months of growth in the greenhouse along with mother plant were subjected to molecular analysis. Of 24 primers screened, 15 primers produced unambiguous and reproducible bands. All 15 primers generated a total of 65 fragments, with a mean of 4.3 ranging 2–7 per primer. No polymorphism was detected in regenerated plants and the mother plant, revealing the genetic fidelity of the in vitro raised plantlets. To verify the results of SCoT analysis, random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were also used for the assessment of genetic fidelity of tissue culture raised plants. The monomorphic banding pattern in micropropagated plants and the mother plant obtained from SCoT and RAPD analysis confirms the genetic stability of the in vitro raised plants and demonstrates the reliability of our micropropagation system for C. gynandra, an important C₄ plant.     

Genetic diversity evaluation of some elite cotton varieties by RAPD analysis

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis was used to evaluate the genetic diversity of elite commercial cotton varieties. Twenty two varieties belonging to Gossypium hirsutum L. and one to G. arboreum L. were analyzed with 50 random decamer primers using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Forty nine primers detected polymorphism in all 23 cotton varieties, while one produced monomorphic amplification profiles. A total of 349 bands were amplified, 89.1% of which were polymorphic. Cluster analysis by the unweighted pair group method of arithmetic means (UPGMA) showed that 17 varieties can be placed in two groups with a similarity ranging from 81.51% to 93.41%. G. hirsutum L. varieties S-12, V3 and MNH-93 showed a similarity of 78.12, 74.46 and 69.56% respectively with rest of the varieties. One variety, CIM-1100, showed 57.02% similarity and was quite distinct. The diploid cotton G. arboreum L. var. Ravi was also very distinct from rest of its tetraploid counterparts and showed only 55.7% similarity. The analysis revealed that the intervarietal genetic relationships of several varieties is related to their center of origin. As expected, most of the varieties have a narrow genetic base. The results obtained can be used for the selection of possible parents to generate a mapping population. The results also reveal the genetic relationship of elite commercial cotton varieties with some standard “Coker” varieties and the diploid G. arboreum L. var. Ravi (old world cotton). Received: 12 July 1996 / Accepted: 26 July 1996     

Genetic diversity and the population structure at two ploidy levels of Lycoris radiata as revealed by SCoT analysis

Ploidy differences can occur between and within species. To decipher the genetic structure of a species with different ploidy levels, we investigated an area of China where diploid and triploid individuals of Lycoris radiata co-occur. Twenty-six populations of L. radiata were sampled across its natural range, and SCoT markers were used to assess the genetic diversity and population structure. Chromosome counts revealed that 10 populations were diploid and 16 were triploid, each population showed a single cytotype. SCoT analysis revealed high genetic diversity at the species level (PPB = 93.1%; H = 0.258; I = 0.396). However, compared to the triploid strains of Lycoris, the diploid strains had a relatively higher genetic diversity. One possible interpretation for these results is that the triploid strains only propagated using bulb division, while the diploid strains reproduced using sexual propagation and bulb division. Our investigation of the genetic structure, based on UPGMA and PCoA cluster analyses, revealed that populations of L. radiata are divided into three genetic groups. In addition, our results indicate that Yangtze River can affect population diffusion, which played an important role in the genetic differentiation of L. radiata. Lastly, our results suggest that the triploid sterile species of L. radiata might possess two origins.     

Genetic diversity in cocoa revealed by cDNA probes

The variability of the cocoa (Theobroma cacao) nuclear genome was investigated. A total of 203 cocoa clones was surveyed for restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) using four restriction endonuclease and 31 seed cDNA probes. A high level of polymorphism has been found. This study points to a structuring of the species that fits with the distinction between the Criollo and Forastero populations. These results combined with previously obtained nuclear rDNA and mtDNA data allow us to propose new hypotheses on the origin and evolution of the different cocoa populations.     

Genetic diversity revealed in human faces

From an evolutionary perspective, human facial attractiveness is proposed to signal mate quality. Using a novel approach to the study of the genetic basis of human preferences for facial features, we investigated whether attractiveness signals mate quality in terms of genetic diversity. Genetic diversity in general has been linked to fitness and reproductive success, and genetic diversity within the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) has been linked to immunocompetence and mate preferences. We asked whether any preference for genetic diversity is specific to MHC diversity or reflects a more general preference for overall genetic diversity. We photographed and genotyped 160 participants using microsatellite markers situated within and outside the MHC, and calculated two measures of genetic diversity: mean heterozygosity and standardized mean d(2). Our results suggest a special role for the MHC in female preferences for male faces. MHC heterozygosity positively predicted male attractiveness, and specifically facial averageness, with averageness mediating the MHC-attractiveness relationship. For females, standardized mean d(2) at non-MHC loci predicted facial symmetry. Thus, attractive facial characteristics appear to provide visual cues to genetic quality in both males and females, supporting the view that face preferences have been shaped by selection pressures to identify high-quality mates.     

Molecular diversity among marine picophytoplankton as revealed by psbA analyses

Photosynthetic microorganisms play a crucial role in the marine environment. In vast areas of the oceans, marine primary productivity is performed by cells smaller than 2-3 micro m (picoplankton). Here, we report on molecular analyses of the conserved photosynthetic psbA gene (coding for protein D1 of photosystem II reaction centre) as a diversity indicator of naturally occurring marine oxygenic picophytoplankton. The psbA genes proved to be good indicators of the presence of a wide variety of photosynthetic marine microbial groups, including new cyanobacterial groups and eukaryotic algae (prasinophytes). Furthermore, using environmental bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) libraries, we were able to correlate psbA genes with small subunit rRNAs and, therefore, to confirm their phylogenetic affiliation.     

Genetic diversity of Hemarthria altissima and its related species by EST-SSR and SCoT markers

There is a need for an appropriate evaluation of Hemarthria germplasm resources using genetic analysis. Understanding their genetic background will promote effective development and utilization of its germplasm resources in plant breeding. We examined the genetic diversity and relationships among 46 Hemarthria germplasm resources from four continents. Expressed Sequence Tags-Simple Sequence Repeat (EST-SSR) and Start Codon Targeted (SCoT) markers were used to investigate species Hemarthria altissima (36), Hemarthria compressa (8) and Hemarthria uncinata (2). We selected 19 EST-SSR primers and generated 550 polymorphic (94.7%). Twenty one SCoT primers were selected and amplified to produce 597 bands with 89.4% of polymorphic bands. The Mantel test between EST-SSR and SCoT matrices revealed significant correlations (r = 0.854) and the data from both markers were combined for cluster analysis. The 46 materials were clustered into two main groups by UPGMA clustering with a similarity coefficient ranging from 0.573 to 0.940 and the dendrogram was basically concordant with geographical origins and species. Among the three Hemarthria species, H. altissima was genetically closest to H. compressa while it was not close to H. uncinata. When the utility of the two markers were compared, we found EST-SSR to be more efficient than SCoT in determining the genetic diversity study of Hemarthria species.     

Genetic diversity of mango cultivars estimated using SCoT and ISSR markers

Two molecular marker systems, SCoT and ISSR were used for identification and genetic comparison analysis of 23 mango germplasm accessions collected within Guangxi province of China. Using 18 selected SCoT primers 158 bands were generated, of which 104 (65.82%) were polymorphic. Eighteen selected ISSR primers amplified 156 bands with 87 (55.77%) being polymorphic. The cultivars of Xiang Ya Mango type and their progeny have high genetic similarity with each other. The 23 cultivars were clustered into two major groups based on the SCoT analysis and three major groups based on the ISSR analysis with UPGMA. These clusters are in accordance with their known origins and main phenotypic characteristics. Our results indicated that the SCoT analysis better represents the actual relationships than ISSR analysis, although both analyses give similar results. The results also demonstrate that the SCoT marker system is useful for identification and genetic diversity analysis of mango cultivars.     

Genetic diversity in tetraploid switchgrass revealed by AFLP marker polymorphisms

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is a perennial warm-season grass native to North America that has been identified as a dedicated cellulosic biofuel crop. We quantified genetic diversity in tetraploid switchgrass germplasm collected at Oklahoma State University and characterized genetic relatedness among the collections from distinct regions. Fifty-six tetraploid accessions, including seven upland and 49 lowland genotypes from throughout the US, were examined. The amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) procedure was utilized to generate DNA profiling patterns that were scored visually. Sixteen selective AFLP primer combinations were used to amplify 452 polymorphic bands. The accessions' genetic similarity coefficients, UPGMA (unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic averaging) cluster analysis and principle coordinate analysis, were performed. The upland and lowland accessions clustered according to ecotypes, with one exception (TN104). Genetic similarity coefficients among the accessions ranged from 0.73 to 0.95. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) was performed, showing significant differences between the upland and lowland genotypes. The trnL marker confirmed that TN104 was a lowland genotype, but the trnL marker identification of upland and lowland genotypes was not consistent with the AFLP analysis in two germplasms (Miami and AR4).     

利用SSR分析红菜苔的遗传多样性

红菜苔是我国独有的蔬菜资源,深受消费者喜爱。利用63对SSR引物检测来自全国的45份红菜苔种质资源的遗传多样性,63对引物扩增出124条带,平均每条引物扩增出近2条带,扩增产物片段大小都在150～300bp之间,相似系数在0.56～0.89之间。结果表明,红菜苔具有丰富的遗传多样性,本研究为菜苔资源的利用和育种提供了分子生物学依据。     

Genetic diversity among European cultivated spelt revealed by microsatellites

Spelt and common wheat constitute two of the six groups of the hexaploid wheats with an AABBDD genome. Spelt culture has been progressively replaced by that of common wheat which out-yields spelt under high-input conditions. In the last decades, spelt breeders intended to introduce the yield-potential and bread-making qualities of common wheat into spelt, by frequent crossings between accessions of these two different groups. The present study aims at determining the genetic basis of modern spelt cultivars in terms of intra-group variability and inter-group (spelt vs common wheat) distances, by using microsatellite markers developed for common wheat. The allelic composition of 30 spelt and nine common wheat accessions was determined at 17 microsatellite loci. The coefficient of co-ancestry (ƒ) and the genetic distances (1 - proportion of shared alleles) based upon allelic composition were calculated for all pairs of accessions. Two dendrograms were constructed using the UPGMA method. Amplification products were found for all loci on most accessions. A total of 113 alleles was identified, of which 60.2% were specific to spelt or common wheat. The correlation between (1 –ƒ ) and the genetic distance was high (0.701***). The mean pairwise genetic distance was 0.656 ± 0.181 over the 39 accessions, 0.706 ± 0.14 among common wheat and 0.573 ± 0.172 among spelt. The mean genetic distance between spelt and wheat was 0.782 ± 0.113. The two dendrograms were in accordance with each other and clearly separated the spelt from the common wheat accessions. It is concluded that microsatellites developed for common wheat and distances based on the proportion of shared alleles are powerful tools for reconstructing phylogenies in spelt, and that the genetic basis of modern spelt cultivars is narrow despite frequent crosses made with bread wheat. Received: 26 January 2000 / Accepted: 26 May 2000     

法国蜜环菌Armillaria gallica菌株遗传多样性的ISSR分析

在中国东北地区共采集到53个法国蜜环菌Armillaria gallica菌株,用ISSR（Inter-Simple Sequence Repeat）标记技术对这些菌株进行遗传多样性分析。用6个ISSR引物扩增所得条带表明,ISSR标记在蜜环菌中存在较高的多态性;亲缘关系树状图表明,有3个菌株遗传分化明显;其余50个分别来自3个不同地理居群的菌株聚成一类,亲缘关系较近,没有表现出地理隔离。     

滇牡丹遗传多样性的ISSR分析

应用ISSR标记对中国西南地区特有植物滇牡丹(Paeonia delavayi)的遗传多样性进行了研究。从100个引物中筛选出10个用于正式扩增,在取自16个自然居群和1个迁地保护居群的511个个体中,检测到92个多态位点。在居群水平上,多态位点百分率（PPB）为44.61%,Nei′s基因多样性指数（H）和Shannon信息指数（I）分别为0.1657和0.2448。在物种水平上,多态位点百分率（PPB）为79.31%,Nei′s基因多样性指数（H）和Shannon信息指数（I）分别为0.2947和0.4355。居群间的遗传分化系数(G_ST)达0.4349。结果表明：滇牡丹遗传多样性水平较高,居群间遗传分化较大。结合以前的研究结果,对滇牡丹的现状进行评估的结果显示,滇牡丹并不濒危。     

Genetic diversity and population structure of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains isolated from different grape varieties and winemaking regions

We herein evaluate intraspecific genetic diversity of fermentative vineyard-associated S. cerevisiae strains and evaluate relationships between grape varieties and geographical location on populational structures. From the musts obtained from 288 grape samples, collected from two wine regions (16 vineyards, nine grape varieties), 94 spontaneous fermentations were concluded and 2820 yeast isolates were obtained that belonged mainly (92%) to the species S. cerevisiae. Isolates were classified in 321 strains by the use of ten microsatellite markers. A high strain diversity (8-43 strains per fermentation) was associated with high percentage (60-100%) of fermenting samples per vineyard, whereas a lower percentage of spontaneous fermentations (0-40%) corresponded to a rather low strain diversity (1-10 strains per fermentation).For the majority of the populations, observed heterozygosity (Ho) was about two to five times lower than the expected heterozygosity (He). The inferred ancestry showed a very high degree of admixture and divergence was observed between both grape variety and geographical region. Analysis of molecular variance showed that 81-93% of the total genetic variation existed within populations, while significant differentiation within the groups could be detected. Results from AMOVA analysis and clustering of allelic frequencies agree in the distinction of genetically more dispersed populations from the larger wine region compared to the less extended region. Our data show that grape variety is a driver of populational structures, because vineyards with distinct varieties harbor genetically more differentiated S. cerevisiae populations. Conversely, S. cerevisiae strains from vineyards in close proximity (5-10 km) that contain the same grape variety tend to be less divergent. Populational similarities did not correlate with the distance between vineyards of the two wine regions. Globally, our results show that populations of S. cerevisiae in vineyards may occur locally due to multi-factorial influences, one of them being the grape variety.     

Molecular diversity analysis of grape varieties based on iPBS markers

Thirty-five grape varieties were evaluated for their molecular diversities based on inter-primer binding site (iPBS) markers. Fifteen selected iPBS primers generated a total of 99 polymorphic DNA bands with 86.3% polymorphism. The effectiveness of iPBS marker is comparable to or even more efficient than other retrotransposon-based markers in grape. The differentiation between cultivated and wild grape varieties were clearly showed by both UPGMA cluster analysis and PCoA analysis revealing that Chinese cultivated and wild grape germplasm are highly divergent and possess abundant genetic diversities. This study also confirmed that the iPBS marker is a simple, informative, reproducible and suitable method for grape genetic diversity evaluation.