Extensive de Novo genomic variation in rice induced by introgression from wild rice (Zizania latifolia Griseb.)

To study the possible impact of alien introgression on a recipient plant genome, we examined >6000 unbiased genomic loci of three stable rice recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from intergeneric hybridization between rice (cv. Matsumae) and a wild relative (Zizania latifolia Griseb.) followed by successive selfing. Results from amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis showed that, whereas the introgressed Zizania DNA comprised <0.1% of the genome content in the RILs, extensive and genome-wide de novo variations occurred in up to 30% of the analyzed loci for all three lines studied. The AFLP-detected changes were validated by DNA gel-blot hybridization and/or sequence analysis of genomic loci corresponding to a subset of the differentiating AFLP fragments. A BLAST analysis revealed that the genomic variations occurred in diverse sequences, including protein-coding genes, transposable elements, and sequences of unknown functions. Pairwise sequence comparison of selected loci between a RIL and its rice parent showed that the variations represented either base substitutions or small insertion/deletions. Genome variations were detected in all 12 rice chromosomes, although their distribution was uneven both among and within chromosomes. Taken together, our results imply that even cryptic alien introgression can be highly mutagenic to a recipient plant genome.     

野生稻NBS类抗病基因同源序列的分离与序列分析

为了挖掘野生稻中的抗病资源,根据已克隆的植物抗病基因核苷酸结合位点序列中的保守结构域设计3对简并引物,从疣粒、药用、高秆、宽叶和斑点野生稻基因组DNA中分离出13条NBS类抗病基因类似物,其中11条具有连续的ORF,具有NBS类R基因的保守基元P-loop、kinas-2、kinas-3a和GLPL。在NCBI上进行同源性搜索发现,其中12条RGAs的核苷酸序列与水稻已知的NBS类R基因具有66%～94%的同源性,与其他植物已知R基因具有67%～84%的同源性;其对应的氨基酸序列与水稻已知的NBS类R基因具有43%～93%的同源性,与其他植物已知R基因具有37%～79%的同源性。另外1条的核苷酸序列与水稻假定的NBS类R基因具有76%的同源性,其氨基酸序列与水稻假定的NBS类R基因具有74%的同源性。根据序列分析结果设计6对不同基因特异性引物,并利用RT-PCR技术进行表达分析,结果表明,RN1BD5、RN1BD10、RN1GG2和RN1YY6均能表达,说明这些片段可能是功能性抗病基因的部分序列;而RN1KY9和RN1GG5没有表达,可能是假基因。     

Mobilized retrotransposon Tos17 of rice by alien DNA introgression transposes into genes and causes structural and methylation alterations of a flanking genomic region

Tos17 is a copia-like endogenous retrotransposon of rice, which can be activated by various stresses such as tissue culture and alien DNA introgression. To confirm element mobilization by introgression and to study possible structural and epigenetic effects of Tos17 insertion on its target sequences, we isolated all flanking regions of Tos17 in an introgressed rice line (Tong35) that contains minute amount of genomic DNA from wild rice (Zizania latifolia). It was found that there has been apparent but limited mobilization of Tos17 in this introgression line, as being reflected by increased but stable copy number of the element in progeny of the line. Three of the five activated copies of the element have transposed into genes. Based on sequence analysis and Southern blot hybridization with several double-enzyme digests, no structural change in Tos17 could be inferred in the introgression line. Cytosine methylation status at all seven CCGG sites within Tos17 was also identical between the introgression line and its rice parent (Matsumae)-all sites being heavily methylated. In contrast, changes in structure and cytosine methylation patterns were detected in one of the three low-copy genomic regions that flank newly transposed Tos17, and all changes are stably inherited through selfed generations.     

异源DNA导入水稻诱发活跃反转子Tos17发生可遗传DNA甲基化变异

用水稻(Oryza sativa L.)内源反转座子Tos17为探针,经Southern杂交在5种含有野生稻(Zizania latifolia Griseb)(菰)DNA片段的水稻渐渗杂交系中检测到了可遗传DNA甲基化变异.在分析的4种甲基化敏感限制性内切酶中,每种酶切都发生了亲本杂交片段的消失和新片段的出现.发生甲基化变异的位点包括对称和不对称的胞嘧啶碱基,也包括腺嘌呤碱基.序列分析表明,与水稻亲本比较,所研究的5种渐渗杂交系在Tos17的2个重要区域(5'-LTR和RT)均未发生序列变异.但甲基化敏感-序列特异性PCR分析证实,每种渐渗杂交系在这2个区域内均发生了广泛的DNA甲基化变异.而且,在2种渐渗杂交系中发现5'-LTR和RT区域的甲基化变异存在协同性.甲基化变异可稳定遗传给后代.因为已有的研究表明,在这5种渐渗杂交系中异源DNA导入均导致了Tos17的激活和转座,因此可以推测DNA甲基化在调控Tos17活性中可能具有一定作用.但反转座子激活和甲基化变异之间的确切关系尚有待进一步研究.     

Physical mapping,expression analysis and polymorphism survey of resistance gene analogues on chromosome 11 of rice

Rice is the first cereal genome with a finished sequence and a model crop that has important syntenic relationships with other cereal species. The objectives of our study were to identify resistance gene analogue (RGA) sequences from chromosome 11 of rice, understand their expression in other cereals and dicots by in silico analysis, determine their presence on other rice chromosomes, and evaluate the extent of polymorphism and actual expression in a set of rice genotypes. A total of 195 RGAs were predicted and physically localised. Of these, 91.79% expressed in rice, and 51.28% expressed in wheat, which was the highest among other cereals. Among monocots, sugarcane showed the highest (78.92%) expression, while among dicots, RGAs were maximally expressed in Arabidopsis (11.79%). Interestingly, two of the chromosome 11-specific RGAs were found to be expressing in all the organisms studied. Eighty RGAs of chromosome 11 had significant homology with chromosome 12, which was the maximum among all the rice chromosomes. Thirty-one per cent of the RGAs used in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification showed polymorphism in a set of rice genotypes. Actual gene expression analysis revealed post-inoculation induction of one RGA in the rice line IRBB-4 carrying the bacterial blight resistance gene Xa-4. Our results have implications for the development of sequence-based markers and functional validation of specific RGAs in rice. Electronic Supplementary Material  Supplementary material is available for this article at and is accessible for authorized users. Supplementary tables pertaining to this article are available on the Journal of Biosciences Website at     

中国菰资源研究现状及应用前景

中国菰(Zizania latifolia(Griseb.)Turcz.ex Stapf)是一种多年生禾本科稻亚科稻族菰属挺水植物。研究表明,菰具有现代水稻栽培品种所需要的许多优良性状,在生态治理方面表现出应用潜力;菰米营养价值高于普通稻米,且兼具保健功效。菰的这些特性使其在水稻种质改良、重金属离子污染土壤治理以及功能性食品开发方面表现出诱人的前景。近年来,菰属植物的研究工作取得了一定的进展,主要涉及菰的起源进化、菰的经济价值、菰与生态环境的关系、菰遗传多样性分析、菰组学及育种应用等五方面。因文献报道的时间跨度大,涉及面广,目前未见详尽的有关该物种研究进展的专门论述。本文从上述5个方面进行总结,促进对菰的了解,为这种重要野生资源的研究、保护和开发利用提供借鉴,进而加速该物种的研究进程。     

Cloning and in silico Mapping of Resistance Gene Analogues Isolated from Rice Lines Containing Known Genes for Blast Resistance

We amplified resistance gene analogues (RGAs) from the genomic DNA of 10 rice lines having varying degree of resistance to Magnaporthe grisea by using degenerate primers and various RGAs were mapped in silico on different rice chromosomes. The amplified products were grouped into 3–8 restriction fragment length polymorphic classes by using Mbo1 and Alu1 restriction enzymes. Of 98 RGAs obtained in this study, 65 RGA clones showed more than 95% homology with various RGAs sequences present in the GenBank. Phylogenetic analysis of these RGAs formed 11 groups. Using sequence homology approach, RGAs isolated in this study were physically mapped on 23 loci on chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11 and 12. Twenty RGAs were mapped near to the chromosomal regions containing known genes/QTLs for rice blast, bacterial leaf blight and sheath blight resistance. Thirty‐nine RGA sequences also contained open reading frame representing signature of potential disease resistance genes.     

Cytosine Methylation Changes in Rice Centromeric and Telomeric Sequences Induced by Foreign DNA Introgression

Cytosine methylation changes (hyper- or hypomethylation) in centromeric and telomeric sequences were observed in all three studied rice introgression lines containing DNA from wild rice, Zizania latifolia Griseb. The changed genomic Southern hybridization patterns were complex and non-concordant between a pair of isoschizomers (HpaII/MspI) digests, indicating methylation modifications at both the inner and outer cytosines of the CCGG sites. The changed patterns were inherited through generations. Possible mechanism for the methylation changes and their potential implications for the phenotypic variation and genome organization are discussed.     

Barley disease resistance gene analogs of the NBS-LRR class: identification and mapping

The majority of verified plant disease resistance genes isolated to date are of the NBS-LRR class, encoding proteins with a predicted nucleotide binding site (NBS) and a leucine-rich repeat (LRR) region. We took advantage of the sequence conservation in the NBS motif to clone, by PCR, gene fragments from barley representing putative disease resistance genes of this class. Over 30 different resistance gene analogs (RGAs) were isolated from the barley cultivar Regatta. These were grouped into 13 classes based on DNA sequence similarity. Actively transcribed genes were identified from all classes but one, and cDNA clones were isolated to derive the complete NBS-LRR protein sequences. Some of the NBS-LRR genes exhibited variation with respect to whether and where particular introns were spliced, as well as frequent premature polyadenylation. DNA sequences related to the majority of the barley RGAs were identified in the recently expanded public rice genomic sequence database, indicating that the rice sequence can be used to extract a large proportion of the RGAs from barley and other cereals. Using a combination of RFLP and PCR marker techniques, representatives of all barley RGA gene classes were mapped in the barley genome, to all chromosomes except 4H. A number of the RGA loci map in the vicinity of known disease resistance loci, and the association between RGA S-120 and the nematode resistance locus Ha2 on chromosome 2H was further tested by co-segregation analysis. Most of the RGA sequences reported here have not been described previously, and represent a useful resource as candidates or molecular markers for disease resistance genes in barley and other cereals.     

Origin, diversity and evolution of NBS-type disease-resistance gene homologues in coffee trees (Coffea L.)

The majority of plant disease-resistance genes (R-genes) isolated so far encode a predicted nucleotide-binding site (NBS) domain. NBS domains related to R-genes show a highly conserved backbone of amino acid motifs, which makes it possible to isolate resistance gene analogues (RGAs) by PCR with degenerate primers. Multiple combinations of primers with low degeneracy, designed from two conserved motifs in the NBS regions of R-genes of various plants, were used on genomic DNA from coffee trees, an important perennial tropical crop. Nine distinct classes of RGAs of the NBS-like type, representing a highly diverse sample, were isolated from Coffea arabica and C. canephora species. The analysis of one coffee RGA family suggested point mutations as the primary source of diversity. With one exception, coffee RGA families appeared to be closely related in sequence to at least one cloned R-gene. In addition, deduced amino acid sequences of coffee RGAs were identified that showed strong sequence similarity to almost all known non-TIR (Toll/Interleukin 1 Receptor)-type R-genes. The high degree of similarity between particular coffee RGAs and R-genes isolated from other angiosperm species, such as Arabidopsis, tomato and rice, indicates an ancestral relationship and the existence of common ancestors. The data obtained from coffee species suggests that the evolution of NBS-encoding sequences involves the gradual accumulation of mutations and slow rates of divergence within distinct R-gene families, rather than being a rapid process. Functional inferences drawn from the suggested pattern of evolution of NBS-type R-genes is also discussed.     

A Systematic and Evolutionary Study of Zizania L. (Gramineae) Pollen Morphology

This paper deals with pollen morphology of Zizania L. and its relatives. A total of 7 genera, 13 species, 3 varieties and 1 form were examined under light microscope and scanning electron microscope. The results are as follows: 1. The genus Zizania belongs to tribe Oryzeae as shown by pollen characters, i, e. subspheroidal to ovoid in shape, monoporate, exine two-layered, with minute granules under LM. 2. The evolutionary trend of these taxa seems to be from minute granules free (Zizania latifolia, Z. texana, Zizaniopsis milicea and Oryza sativa) to minute granules aggregated in a group of 2-4 (many) (Zizania aquatica, Z. palustris, Leersia hexandra etc.). The genus Zizania may be derived from the ancient stock which has also given rise to the genus Oryza, and therefore parallel evolution may have taken place in Oryzeae, i. e. from perennial species to annual species in Zizania in one line, and from the genus Oryza to Leersia, Chikusichloa etc. in the other. 3. The characters of pollen morphology under LM and SEM support the division of the genus, Zizania into 4 species, 2 subspecies in the world, i. e. Z. latifolia (Griseb.) Turcz. ex Stapf, Z. texana Hitchc., Z. aquatica subsp. aquatica, Z. aquatica subsp. brevis (Fassett) S. L.Chen, Z. palustris subsp. palustris, and Z. palustris subsp. interior (Fassett) S. L. Chen.     

Resistance gene analogs in barley and their relationship to rust resistance genes.

Regions of amino acid conservation in the NBS domain of NBS-LRR resistance proteins facilitated the PCR isolation of eight resistance gene analog (RGA) sequences from genomic DNA of rice, barley, and Aegilops tauschii. These clones and other RGAs previously isolated from maize, rice, and wheat were assigned to 13 classes by DNA-sequence comparison and by their patterns of hybridisation to restricted barley DNA. Using a doubled-haploid mapping population, probes from 12 RGA classes were used to map 17 loci in the barley genome. Many of these probes have been used for mapping in wheat, and the collective data indicate that the positions of orthologous RGAs are conserved between barley and wheat. RGA loci were identified in the vicinity of barley leaf rust resistance loci Rph4, Rph7, and Rph10. Recombinants were identified between RGA loci and Rph7 and Rph10, while a cluster of RGA sequences detected by probe 5.2 cosegregated with Rph4 in 55 F2 lines.     

Mobilization of the active MITE transposons mPing and Pong in rice by introgression from wild rice (Zizania latifolia Griseb.)

Hybridization between different species plays an important role in plant genome evolution, as well as is a widely used approach for crop improvement. McClintock has predicted that plant wide hybridization constitutes a "genomic shock" whereby cryptic transposable elements may be activated. However, direct experimental evidence showing a causal relationship between plant wide hybridization and transposon mobilization has not yet been reported. The miniature-Ping (mPing) is a recently isolated active miniature inverted-repeat transposable element transposon from rice, which is mobilized by tissue culture and gamma-ray irradiation. We show herein that mPing, together with its putative transposase-encoding partner, Pong, is mobilized in three homologous recombinant inbred lines (RILs), derived from hybridization between rice (cultivar Matsumae) and wild rice (Zizania latifolia Griseb.), harboring introgressed genomic DNA from wild rice. In contrast, both elements remain immobile in two lines sharing the same parentage to the RILs but possessing no introgressed DNA. Thus, we have presented direct evidence that is consistent with McClintock's insight by demonstrating a causal link between wide hybridization and transposon mobilization in rice. In addition, we report an atypical behavior of mPing/Pong mobilization in these lines, i.e., the exclusive absence of footprints after excision.     

菰属系统与演化研究—胚形态

本文采用光学显微镜对全世界菰属４种２亚种及其有关属种共４属７种的胚形态进行系统研究后,获得菰属Ｚｉｚａｎｉａ Ｌ．与山涧草Ｃｈｉｋｕｓｉｃｈｌｏａ ａｐｕａｔｉｃａ Ｋｏｉｄｚ．的胚型为Ｆ＋ＦＰ,稻Ｏｒｙｚａ ｓａｔｉｖａ Ｌ．与拟菰Ｚｉｚａｎｉｏｐｓｉｓ ｍｉｌｉａｃｅａ（Ｍｉｃｈｘ．）Ｄｏｅｌｌ ＆ Ａｓｃｈｅｒｓ．的胚型为Ｆ＋ＦＰ,其中山涧草的胚型为首次报导。根据胚型,这４属均应位在禾本科Ｇ     

Sixteen polymorphic microsatellite markers from Zizania latifolia Turcz. (Poaceae)

Sixteen polymorphic microsatellite markers were isolated and identified in Zizania latifolia Turcz. (Poaceae), a perennial aquatic plant widespread in Eastern Asia. The microsatellite-enriched library was constructed using the fast isolation by AFLP of sequences containing repeats method. These markers revealed two to 14 alleles, with an average of 5.6 alleles per locus. The observed and expected heterozygosities varied from 0.071 to 0.690 and from 0.174 to 0.812, respectively. These markers will be useful for studying of gene flow and evaluating the genetic diversity of the Zizania latifolia population.