Selection of RAPD marker for growth of seedlings at low temperature in rice.

We have developed a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assay that could effectively reduce the time period required to screen and select the cold tolerance gene of rice seedlings under field conditions. The two specific random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fragments for the assay were identified on the basis of quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis which were found to be tightly linked to cold sensitivity. The two RAPD fragments, OPT8(600) in the cold sensitivity rice cultivar 'Dular (indica)' and OPU20(1200) in the resistance rice cultivar 'Toyohatamochi (japonica)', were identified after screening 11 RAPD fragments using 2 random primers on the genomic DNAs of 'Dular' and 'Toyohatamochi'. These primers, when used in a multiplexed PCR, specifically amplified a 0.6 kb and a 1.2 kb fragment in the sensitive and resistant rice cultivars, respectively. When this assay was performed on the genomic DNAs of 16 japonica, 3 Tongil (indica/ japonica), and 2 indica rice cultivars, the primers amplified a 0.6 kb fragment in all of the cold sensitivity rice cultivars or 1.2 kb fragment in all of the resistance ones. These markers can be of potential use in the marker-assisted selection (MAS) for cold tolerance in rice seedling. As screening for resistance can now be conducted independent of the availability of low temperature, the breeding of cold tolerance cultivars can be hastened.     

用高代回交材料筛选与番茄耐冷性相关的RAPD分子标记

以番茄冷敏感品系T9801为轮回亲本,以耐冷品系T9806为供体亲本,经7代回交选择获得具有较强耐冷性且具有T9801遗传背景的高代回交株系,从高代回交株系及冷敏感亲本提取DNA,用280个随机引物进行RAPD扩增和多态性分析,筛选到一个与番茄耐冷性相关的RAPD分子标记（OPF14）。     

Molecular mapping of QTLs for wheat flag leaf senescence under water-stress

A segregating population from the cross between drought sensitive (Variant-2) and drought tolerant (Cham-6) genotypes was made to identify molecular markers linked to wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) flag leaf senescence under water-stress. From 38 random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) primers, 25 inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) primers and 46 simple sequence repeat (SRR) primers, tested for polymorphism among parental genotypes and F2 population. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) for flag leaf senescence was associated with 1 RAPD marker (Pr9), 4 ISSR markers (Pr8, AD5, AD2 and AD3), and 1 SSR marker (Xgwm382) and explained 44, 50, 35, 31, 22 and 73 % phenotypic variation, respectively. The genetic distance between flag leaf senescence gene and Pr9 was 10.0 cM (LOD score 22.9). The markers Pr8, AD5, AD2 and AD3 had genetic distances of 10.5, 14.6, 15.6 and 18.1 cM, respectively (LOD scores 22.6, 17.8, 17.5 and 14.6). The genetic distance between Xgwm382 was 3.9 cM (LOD score 33.8). Therefore, the RAPD, ISSR and SSR markers linked to the QTL for the drought-induced flag leaf senescence can be further used in breeding for drought tolerance in wheat.     

Strain-Specific Identification of Probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus with Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA-Derived PCR Primers

In the present work, strain-specific PCR primers for Lactobacillus rhamnosus Lc 1/3 are described. The randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique was used to produce potential strain-specific markers. They were screened for specificity by hybridization with DNA from 11 L. rhamnosus strains. A 613-bp RAPD marker found to be strain-specific was sequenced, and a primer pair specific to L. rhamnosus Lc 1/3 was constructed based on the sequence. The primer pair was tested with 11 Lactobacillus species and 11 L. rhamnosus strains and was found to be strain specific. The nucleotide sequence of the specific RAPD marker was found to contain part of a protein encoding region which showed significant similarity to several transposases for insertion sequence elements of various bacteria, including other lactic acid bacterium species.     

云南普通野生稻和地方稻WRKY45基因的克隆及转化

以云南地方稻‘三磅七十箩’(SB70)和景洪普通野生稻为材料,根据GenBank中水稻WRKY45基因序列设计引物,进行PCR扩增。结果表明,经测序得到目的基因长约1.3kb,推导的氨基酸具有WRKY蛋白典型的保守区域WRKYGQK。经BLAST分析,与GenBank中不同栽培稻WRKY45基因的相似性在85%以上,但也存在一些核苷酸差异,这些差异可能导致其调控抗逆能力更强。构建该基因的表达载体pCAMBIA1300,重组克隆后通过农杆菌介导法转入云南栽培粳稻‘云资粳41号’中,经PCR鉴定获得24株转基因阳性植株。     

Genetic Characterization of a New Growth Habit Mutant in Tomato (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Solanum lycopersicum</Emphasis>)

A mutant tomato cultivar (HT10-3-2) with indeterminate growth habit was obtained from a cultivar (T10-3-2) with determinate growth habit. The character of indeterminate growth habit in HT10-3-2 could be inherited stably. Unlike other normal growth habit cultivars, which are controlled by the SELF PRUNING gene, it was shown here that HT10-3-2 has no mutation in the sp gene. Two hundred random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) primers were used to screen for polymorphism between the two genotypes from genomic DNA, and a polymorphic fragment (S168₁₄₅₈) was obtained and subsequently sequenced. However, Basic Local Alignment Search Tool searches indicated that the sequence of this RAPD fragment shares no significant homology with known sequences in GenBank. The RAPD marker (S168₁₄₅₈) was converted to a sequence characterized amplified region (SCAR) marker, SCA168₁₄₅₃. The SCAR marker was tested using an F₂ population derived from the cross of T10-3-2 and HT10-3-2 and the results showed that this marker was closely linked with the unknown factor influencing the growth habit in HT10-3-2.     

Use of Three Different Marker Systems to Estimate Genetic Diversity of Indian Elite Rice Varieties

Genetic diversity among 42 Indian elite rice varieties, which is important for selection of parents for conventional breeding and hybrid program, was evaluated using three different types of DNA markers and parentage analysis. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) and sequence tagged microsatellite site (STMS) markers resulted in mean heterozygosity values of 0.429, 0.675 and 0.882 over all loci, respectively, and marker index values of 2.21, 4.05 and 5.49, respectively. The three molecular marker systems together provide wider genome coverage and, therefore, would be a better indicator of the genetic relationships among the 42 elite rice cultivars than those revealed using individual molecular markers. A total of 153 bands (91%) were polymorphic out of 168 bands amplified, considering all the markers together. The average genetic similarity coefficient across all the 861 cultivar pairs was 0.70 while the average coefficient of parentage was 0.10. Cluster analysis revealed that there was a very poor correlation (correlation coefficient <0.1) between dendrograms generated using coefficients of parentage and molecular marker generated genetic similarities, which can be attributed to selection pressure, genetic drift, sampling of loci and unknown relationships among supposedly unrelated ancestors. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

银杏性别相关分子标记

利用RAPD技术寻找银杏(Ginkgo biloba L.)中与性别相关的分子标记。筛选了1200个10bp的随机引物,产生了8372个RAPD条带。只有S1478产生一条大小为682bp、雄性特异的分子标记,该分子标记被命名为S1478—682,出现在所有雄性植株中,而所有雌性植株都不具有该分子标记。通过在北京和沈阳种植的银杏植株的RAPD推广验证,说明该分子标记可以用来检测银杏植株的性别。     

SNPs in stress-responsive rice genes: validation, genotyping, functional relevance and population structure

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) validation and large-scale genotyping are required to maximize the use of DNA sequence variation and determine the functional relevance of candidate genes for complex stress tolerance traits through genetic association in rice. We used the bead array platform-based Illumina GoldenGate assay to validate and genotype SNPs in a select set of stress-responsive genes to understand their functional relevance and study the population structure in rice. RESULTS: Of the 384 putative SNPs assayed, we successfully validated and genotyped 362 (94.3%). Of these 325 (84.6%) showed polymorphism among the 91 rice genotypes examined. Physical distribution, degree of allele sharing, admixtures and introgression, and amino acid replacement of SNPs in 263 abiotic and 62 biotic stress-responsive genes provided clues for identification and targeted mapping of trait-associated genomic regions. We assessed the functional and adaptive significance of validated SNPs in a set of contrasting drought tolerant upland and sensitive lowland rice genotypes by correlating their allelic variation with amino acid sequence alterations in catalytic domains and three-dimensional secondary protein structure encoded by stress-responsive genes. We found a strong genetic association among SNPs in the nine stress-responsive genes with upland and lowland ecological adaptation. Higher nucleotide diversity was observed in indica accessions compared with other rice sub-populations based on different population genetic parameters. The inferred ancestry of 16% among rice genotypes was derived from admixed populations with the maximum between upland aus and wild Oryza species. CONCLUSIONS: SNPs validated in biotic and abiotic stress-responsive rice genes can be used in association analyses to identify candidate genes and develop functional markers for stress tolerance in rice.     

Assessment of genetic diversity in salt-tolerant rice and its wild relatives for ten SSR loci and one allele mining primer of salT gene located on 1st chromosome

A heterogeneous collection of rice genotypes which included seven salt-tolerant rice lines, one salt-sensitive improved line, one wild rice (Oryza rufipogon) and one salt-tolerant wild rice relative (Porteresia coarctata) was screened with ten salt-tolerance-linked simple sequence repeat markers, of which nine were from the Saltol QTL mapped on rice 1st chromosome and the rest one from 8th chromosome, having high phenotypic variance for salt tolerance. Variation in molecular weight (in the form of base pairs) of the different amplified products using RM primers was used to find out the genetic relationship among the studied rice genotypes. Genomic DNA of the studied genotypes was also amplified with a reported allele mining primer for a salt-inducible gene (salT). The amplified products were sequenced and aligned to find out the closeness among the rice lines for the studied gene. Dendrogram derived from marker profiles showed partial similarity with salT gene-derived tree. Commonly, all the salt-tolerant lines were grouped into a single cluster, including IR36 (a salt-sensitive line) to which O. rufipogon (the wild rice) and P. coarctata (the wild rice relative) joined separately. The taxonomic identity and evolutionary relationship among the three groups (rice, wild rice and wild rice relative) were bioinformatically analysed using the nucleotide sequence of the studied salT gene.     

Direct sequencing of RAPD fragments using 3'-extended oligonucleotide primers and dye terminator cycle-sequencing.

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers are used widely to develop high resolution genetic maps and for genome fingerprinting. Typically, single oligomers of approximately 10 nucleotides are used to PCR amplify characteristic RAPD marker fragments. We describe an efficient method for the direct end-sequencing of gel-purified RAPD fragments using one primer from a set of four 3'-terminal extended (A, T, C or G) oligonucleotides, identical to the RAPD primer but for the single nucleotide extension. Strand-specific DNA sequence could be independently read from each of the RAPD fragments without recourse to strand separation or fragment cloning. Informative RAPD fragments could be readily converted into mapped STS or SCAR loci using this technology. The 3'-extended primers may also be used to amplify independent genomic RAPD markers.     

Somaclonal variation at the nucleotide sequence level in rice (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Oryza sativa</Emphasis> L.) as revealed by RAPD and ISSR markers,and by pairwise sequence analysis

The nature of somaclonal variation at the nucleotide sequence level was studied in rice cv. Nipponbare. First, we investigated genomic variations by using 2 molecular marker systems: RAPD (random amplified polymorphic DNA) and ISSR (inter-simple sequence repeat). This was followed by sequencing of selected bands that represented genomic variations, and pairwise sequence analysis taking advantage of the whole genome sequence of rice. In addition, transpositional activity of the active MITE, mPing, was analysed by locus-specific PCR amplifications. The 2-year-old calli and their regenerated plants, analysed with 24 RAPD and 20 ISSR primers, showed moderate levels of genomic variation (20.83% and 17.04%, respectively). To test whether DNA methylation plays a role in somaclonal variation, the calli were treated with 5-azacytidine, a chemical agent that reduces cytosine methylation by blocking the activity of DNA methyltransferase. Though dwarfism occurred in regenerants from treated calli (a hallmark of the drug treatment), there was only a slight increase in the frequency of somaclonal variation detected in the treated calli and their regenerated plants relative to untreated controls. The transposon mPing also remained immobile in both treated and untreated calli. Nevertheless, dendrograms constructed according to the Jaccard coefficient calculated by UPGMA of the ISSR bands revealed that the 5-azacytidine-treated and untreated somaclones were grouped into 2 distinct clusters, suggesting a possible indirect effect of the treatment on the genomic changes, depending on the marker used. Sequence analysis indicated a low level of variation (0.31%), with single-base-pair substitutions predominating.     

苦荞和甜荞查尔酮合成酶基因的克隆及序列比较

以苦荞品种‘西农9920’和甜荞品种‘西农9976’为材料,根据其它植物查尔酮合成酶(chalcone synthase,CHS)基因DNA序列的保守区域设计的一对简并引物,进行PCR扩增,从2种荞麦基因组中克隆出了长度均为860 bp的CHS基因片段,对其进行回收、克隆,挑选阳性克隆测序;序列分析表明这2个片段含有CHS基因的N端和C端的结构域,分别为苦荞和甜荞的CHS基因片段,命名为FtCHS和FeCHS。对获得的2种荞麦CHS基因的DNA序列进行比较分析,发现两者间存在多达43处单碱基多态性,这些单碱基多态性可能是苦荞和甜荞种子中类黄酮含量差异的重要原因之一。苦荞和甜荞CHS与其它植物CHS的氨基酸序列的进化分析表明,其与同为蓼科的掌叶大黄和石竹科的满天星的同源性较近。     

Conversion of an RAPD marker to an STS marker for barley variety identification

Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) variety identification is important to the malting and brewing industries. Because many new malting cultivars (varieties) are closely related, new and more effective identification techniques are needed. We report on a series of techniques used to convert an RAPD marker to a more stable STS marker that can identify barley Stander from Robust, an important distinction for the American malting and brewing industries. The techniques included DNA extraction, RAPD amplification, random cloning of all amplified fragments, selection of clones by insert size, DNA sequencing of select inserts, design of a barley-based primer pair, and detection of a single nucleotide polymorphism using restriction endonucleaseAlu I. The barley-based primer pair was used to further sequence the RAPD fragment. Five single nucleotide polymorphisms between Robust and Stander exist, one of which was detected by electrophoresing DNA fragments differentially restricted byAlu I. The conversion technique was different from ones previously reported in that it did not require manual extraction of DNA fragments from a gel. This could be applied to other situations in which RAPD marker conversion would be desirable.     

与苹果Co基因紧密连锁的RAPD标记的筛选及其SCAR标记转换

以短枝富士(Spur Fuji)X舞姿(Telamon)的105株F1群体为试材,利用RAPD技术,结合集群分类分析法(BSA)进行了苹果柱型基因(Co)分子标记的研究。通过对300条随机引物的筛选,获得一个与Co基因紧密连锁的RAPD标记S1142682,连锁距离为2．86cM。对该标记片段进行序列测定,然后根据序列特点设计了4条特异引物(其中正向引物与反向引物各两条)。PCR结果显示,这4条引物的4种组合都可以扩增出柱型性状的特征带。选其中之一进行群体上的分析,结果表明该SCAR标记特征带与柱型性状的共分离行为与原RAPD标记表现一致。可见,此组合的引物可以作为该SCAR标记的特异引物。通过对S1142682标记片段序列分析发现,在 45～ 251区域含有一个可编码68个氨基酸残基的ORF。     

水稻ADP—葡萄糖焦磷酸化酶的cDNA基因克隆和结构分析

用ＰＣＲ技术从我国水稻品种“中花１０ 号”（Ｏｒｙｚａ ｓａｔｉｖａ ｖａｒ． ｊａｐｏｎｉｃａ ｃｖ． Ｚｈｏｎｇｈｕａ １０）的未成熟种子中克隆到ＡＤＰ－葡萄糖焦磷酸化酶基因,进行了全序列分析,并与国外已报道的同类基因进行了核苷酸及推导氨基酸序列的同源性比较。结果表明,作者克隆的ＡＤＰ－葡萄糖焦磷酸化酶基因全长１４６１ ｂｐ,编码１个由４８３ 个氨基酸组成的多肽,与国外基因的核苷酸和推导氨基酸同源率分别为９９．６％ 和９９．７％ 。此外,还对该基因进行了结构及进化分析。     

Identification and analysis of QTLs controlling cold tolerance at the reproductive stage and validation of effective QTLs in cold-tolerant genotypes of rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Low temperature or cold stress is one of the major constraints of rice production and productivity in temperate rice-growing countries and high-altitude areas in the tropics. Even though low temperature affects the rice plant in all stages of growth, the percent seed set is damaged severely by cold and this reduces the yield potential of cultivars significantly. In this study, a new source of cold-tolerant line, IR66160-121-4-4-2, was used as a donor parent with a cold-sensitive cultivar, Geumobyeo, to produce 153 F₈ recombinant inbred lines (RILs) for quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis. QTL analysis with 175 polymorphic simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers and composite interval mapping identified three main-effect QTLs (qPSST-3, qPSST-7, and qPSST-9) on chromosomes 3, 7, and 9. The SSR markers RM569, RM1377, and RM24545 were linked to the identified QTLs for cold tolerance with respect to percent seed set using cold-water (18–19°C) irrigation in the field and controlled air temperature (17°C) in the greenhouse. The total phenotypic variation for cold tolerance contributed by the three QTLs was 27.4%. RILs with high percent seed set under cold stress were validated with linked DNA markers and by haplotype analysis that revealed the contribution of progenitor genomes from the tropical japonica cultivar Jimbrug (Javanica) and temperate japonica cultivar Shen-Nung89-366. Three QTLs contributed by the cold-tolerant parent were identified which showed additive effect on percent seed set under cold treatment. This study demonstrated the utility of a new phenotyping method as well as the identification of SSR markers associated with QTLs for selection of cold-tolerant genotypes to improve temperate rice production.     

Genetic analysis of type E botulinum toxin-producing Clostridium butyricum strains

Type E botulinum toxin (BoNT/E)-producing Clostridium butyricum strains isolated from botulism cases or soil specimens in Italy and China were analyzed by using nucleotide sequencing of the bont/E gene, random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) assay, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and Southern blot hybridization for the bont/E gene. Nucleotide sequences of the bont/E genes of 11 Chinese isolates and of the Italian strain BL 6340 were determined. The nucleotide sequences of the bont/E genes of 11 C. butyricum isolates from China were identical. The deduced amino acid sequence of BoNT/E from the Chinese isolates showed 95.0 and 96.9% identity with those of BoNT/E from C. butyricum BL 6340 and Clostridium botulinum type E, respectively. The BoNT/E-producing C. butyricum strains were divided into the following three clusters based on the results of RAPD assay, PFGE profiles of genomic DNA digested with SmaI or XhoI, and Southern blot hybridization: strains associated with infant botulism in Italy, strains associated with food-borne botulism in China, and isolates from soil specimens of the Weishan lake area in China. A DNA probe for the bont/E gene hybridized with the nondigested chromosomal DNA of all toxigenic strains tested, indicating chromosomal localization of the bont/E gene in C. butyricum. The present results suggest that BoNT/E-producing C. butyricum is clonally distributed over a vast area.     

Small GTP-Binding Protein Gene Is Associated with QTL for Submergence Tolerance in Rice

Small GTP-binding proteins play critical roles in signal transduction in mammalian and plant systems. In this study, sequence variation of a small GTP-binding protein identified in the subgenomic region was analyzed. The major quantitative trait locus (QTL) controlling submergence tolerance on the 6.5-cM region of chromosome 9 was previously mapped, sequenced, and annotated. One of the most interesting candidate genes located in this QTL was a 5.2-kb sequence, which included a coding sequence consisting of two exons and a promoter. The deduced amino acid sequence corresponded to a 24.8 kD protein consisting of 226 amino acids, with 98% identity to RGP1, a small GTP-binding protein involved in a signal pathway responding to hormones, such as cytokinin and ethylene. According to the amino acid sequence, a putative small G-protein was classified as a small Ras-related GTP-binding protein. DNA gel blot analysis showed that the putative gene encoding the Ras-related GTP-binding protein was present as a single copy in the rice genome. Comparison of genomic sequences from several rice cultivars tolerant to submergence identified single nucleotide polymorphisms located in the TATA box of the Ras promoter region. Linkage analysis showed that the putative gene for GTP-binding protein was tightly linked to the peak of the QTL previously mapped on the long arm of chromosome 9. The single strand conformation polymorphism of the putative GTP-binding protein gene can be used for allele discrimination and marker assisted selection for tolerance to flash flooding.     

Retrotransposable elements on the W chromosome of the silkworm, Bombyx mori

The sex chromosomes of the silkworm, Bombyxmori, are designated ZW(XY) for females and ZZ(XX) for males. The W chromosome of B. mori does not recombine with the Z chromosome and autosomes and no genes for morphological characters have been mapped to the W chromosome as yet. Furthermore, femaleness is determined by the presence of a single W chromosome, regardless of the number of autosomes or Z chromosomes. To understand these interesting features of the W chromosome, it is necessary to analyze the W chromosome at the molecular biology level. Initially to isolate DNA sequences specific for the W chromosome as randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers, we compared the genomic DNAs between males and females by PCR with arbitrary 10-mer primers. To the present, we have identified 12 W-specific RAPD markers, and with the exception of one RAPD marker, all of the deduced amino acid sequences of these W-specific RAPD markers show similarity to previously reported amino acid sequences of retrotransposable elements from various organisms. After constructing a genomic DNA lambda phage library of B. mori we obtained two lambda phage clones, one containing the W-Kabuki RAPD sequence and one containing the W-Samurai RAPD sequence and found that these DNA sequences comprised nested structures of many retrotransposable elements. To further analyze the W chromosome, we obtained 14 W-specific bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clones from three BAC libraries and subjected these clones to shotgun sequencing. The resulting assembly of sequences did not produce a single contiguous sequence due to the presence of many retrotransposable elements. Therefore, we coupled PCR with shotgun sequencing. Through these analyses, we found that many long terminal repeat (LTR) and non-LTR retrotransposons, retroposons, DNA transposons and their derivatives, have accumulated on the W chromosome as strata. These results strongly indicate that retrotransposable elements are the main structural component of the W chromosome.