Chromosome markers in the tetraploid wheat Aegilops ventricosa analysed by in situ hybridization

 Three lines of the tetraploid wheat Aegilops ventricosa Tausch (2n=4x=28), which contains good resistance to eyespot, were analysed using fluorescent in situ hybridization. Probes used included rDNA, cloned repeated sequences from wheat and rye, simple-sequence repeats (SSRs) and total genomic DNA. The banding patterns produced could be used to distinguish most chromosome arms and will aid in the identification of Ae. ventricosa chromosomes or chromosome segments in breeding programmes. All lines had a single major 18S-25S rDNA site, the nucleolar organizing region (NOR) in chromosome 5N and several minor sites of 18S-25S rDNA and 5S rDNA. A 1NL.3DL, 1NS.3DS translocation was identified, and other minor differences were found between the lines. Received: 11 August 1998 / Accepted: 28 November 1998     

Heterogeneities in the distribution of (GACA)n simple repeats in the karyotypes of primates and mouse

Summary Tandemly organized simple repetitive sequences are widespread in all eukaryotes. The organization of the simple tetrameric (GACA)_n sequences at chromosomal loci has been investigated using in situ hybridization with chemically pure oligonucleotide probes. Both biotin- and digoxigenin-attached (GACA)₄ probes reveal specific hybridization signals over the short arms of all acrocentric autosomes in man. In the other examined primates the NOR-bearing autosomes could be detected by in situ hybridization with (GACA)₄, and a major concentration of the GACA simple repeats could be observed on the Y chromosome in the gibbon and mouse; the hybridization site in the gibbon Y chromosome coincides particularly with the silver-stainable NOR. In the past, accumulations of (GACA)_n sequences were demonstrated mainly on vertebrate sex chromosomes. Therefore, the organization of GACA simple sequences is discussed in the context of their evolutionary potential accumulation and the possible linkage with the primate rDNA loci.     

Isolation,characterization and application of a species-specific repeated sequence from Haynaldia villosa

A species-specific repeated sequence, pHvNAU62, was cloned from Haynaldia villosa, a wheat relative of great importance. It strongly hybridized to H. villosa, but not to wheat. In situ hybridization localized this sequence to six of seven H. villosa chromosome pairs in telomeric or sub-telomeric regions. Southern hybridization to whea-H. villosa addition lines showed that chromosomes 1V through 6V gave strong signals in ladders while chromosome 7V escaped detection. In addition to H. villosa, several Triticeae species were identified for a high abundance of the pHvNAU62 repeated sequence, among which Thinopyrum bassarabicum and Leymus racemosus produced the strongest signals. Sequence analysis indicated that the cloned fragment was 292 bp long, being AT rich (61%), and showed 67% homology of pSc7235, a rye repeated sequence. Isochizomer analysis suggested that the present repeated sequence was heavily methylated at the cytosine of the CpG dimer in the genome of H. villosa.It was also demonstrated that pHvNAU62 is useful in tagging the introduced 6VS chromosome arm, which confers a resistance gene to wheat powdery mildew, in the segregating generations.     

The organization of the evolutionarily conserved GATA/GACA repeats in the mouse genome

Simple repeated GATA and GACA sequences which were originally isolated from sex-specific snake satellite DNA have been found subsequently in all eukaryotes studied. The organization of these sequences within the mouse genome was investigated here by using synthetic oligonucleotide probes as a novel tool in comparison with conventional hybridization probes. Southern blot hybridization showed sex-specific patterns with both the (GATA)₄ and (GACA)₄ oligonucleotide probes, as previously described with conventional probes. The quantitative analysis of two mouse DNA phage libraries and of 25 isolated GATA-positive phage clones revealed intensive interspersion of GATA sequences with GACA, and with other repetitive and single-copy sequences. Ubiquitous interspersion and homogeneous genomic distribution of GATA and GACA sequences were confirmed by hybridization in situ of the oligonucleotide probes to metaphase chromosomes. The lengths of the GATA and GACA stretches were found to vary considerably in the individual phage clones. DNA inserts from 20 phages were assigned to autosomes and sex chromosomes and three genomic fragments were found to be confined to the Y chromosome. The organization of GATA and GACA sequences is discussed in the context of their evolutionary potential and possible conservation mechanisms.     

Unequal chromosome division and inter-genomic translocation occurred in somatic cells of wheat–rye allopolyploid

Newly synthesized wheat–rye allopolyploids were investigated by genomic in situ hybridization, over the first, second, third and fourth allopolyploid generations. Inter and intra chromosome connections were observed in 12 root-tip cells of CA4.4.7 (S₂ generation), and translocations between wheat and rye chromosomes were also detected in five root-tip cells. In root-tip cells of CA4.4.7.5 and CA4.4.7.2.2 (S₃ and S₄ generation), the chromosome connections occurred again, a dissociative small rye segment was detected in seven cells of CA4.4.7.5. In plants MSV6.1 and MSV6.5 (S₁ generation), almost half of the root-tip cells contained 13 rye chromosomes and the rest held 12 rye chromosomes, and all the cells of the two plants contained 42 wheat chromosomes. Five pairing configurations of rye chromosomes, including 5 II + 3 I, 6 II + 1 I, 6 II, 5 II + 2 I and 4 II + 4 I, were observed in pollen mother cells of the two plants. The two plants’ progeny, including S₂, S₃, and S₄ generation plants, contained 42 wheat chromosomes and 12 rye chromosomes. Therefore, the inter chromosome translocation and unequal chromosome division could occur in somatic cells of wide hybrids. The unequal chromosome division in somatic cell could induce chromosome elimination at the early stages of allopolyploidization.     

Early stages of sex chromosome differentiation in fish as analysed by simple repetitive DNA sequences

Animal sex chromosome evolution has started on different occasions with a homologous pair of autosomes leading to morphologically differentiated gonosomes. In contrast to other vertebrate classes, among fishes cytologically demonstrable sex chromosomes are rare. In reptiles, certain motifs of simple tandemly repeated DNA sequences like (gata)_n/(gaca)_m are associated with the constitutive heterochromatin of sex chromosomes. In this study a panel of simple repetitive sequence probes was hybridized to restriction enzyme digested genomic DNA of poeciliid fishes. Apparent male heterogamety previously established by genetic experiments in Poecilia reticulata (guppy) was correlated with male-specific hybridization using the (GACA)₄ probe. The (GATA)₄ oligonucleotide identifies certain male guppies by a Y chromosomal polymorphism in the outbred population. In contrast none of the genetically defined heterogametic situations in Xiphophorus could be verified consistently using the collection of simple repetitive sequence probes. Only individuals from particular populations produced sex-specific patterns of hybridization with (GATA)₄. Additional poeciliid species (P. sphenops, P. velifera) harbour different sex-specifically organized simple repeat motifs. The observed sex-specific hybridization patterns were substantiated by banding analyses of the karyotypes and by in situ hybridization using the (GACA)₄ probe.by E.R. SchmidtDedicated to Professor Karl Sperling on the occasion of his 50th birthday     

Increasing the physical markers of wheat chromosomes using SSRs as FISH probes

In plants the marker sequences used to identify chromosomes are mainly repetitive DNA probes. Simple sequence repeats (SSRs) are major components of many plant genomes and could be good markers for chromosome identification. In a previous work, we reported the physical distribution of 4 oligonucleotides, (AG)12, (CAT)5, (AAC)5, and (AAG)5, on Triticum aestivum L. chromosomes. The distinctive distribution pattern found suggested that SSR in situ hybridization is useful as a diagnostic tool in wheat cytogenetics. To check whether that finding is generally applicable, we analyzed the chromosomal distribution of the rest of the 14 possible classes of di- and tri-nucleotide repeats by FISH. A detailed knowledge of the sequence content of hexaploid wheat chromatin was acquired based on the hybridization signals, which also provide a rich set of chromosome markers for chromosome identification. Except for (AT)10 and (GC)10, for which the chromosomal distribution could not be accurately determined, and (AC)8 and (GCC)5, which were found dispersed throughout the chromosomes, the remaining repeats were observed as clusters on specific chromosome sites. (AGG)5, (CAC)5, (ACG)5, (AAT)5, and (CAG)5 exhibited a preferential distribution in the pericentromeric regions of the B genome chromosomes. The richest patterns of intercalary signals on several A and B genome chromosomes were produced by (ACT)5. A karyotype based on the SSR probes providing the best FISH patterns was constructed for T. aestivum 'Chinese Spring'.     

Identification of different chromatin classes in wheat using in situ hybridization with simple sequence repeat oligonucleotides

Clusters of four simple sequence repeats (SSRs), AAC, AAG, AG and CAT, have been mapped physically to hexaploid wheat chromosomes; 15—24-bp synthetic oligonucleotides were labelled by random-primer labelling and used as probes for fluorescent in situ hybridization with standard formamide and low-salt conditions. AAC hybridized strongly to the pericentromeric regions and several intercalary sites of all seven chromosomes of the B-genome corresponding to N bands and enabling their identification. Most of the AAC sites also co-localize with AAG, although the strength of the AAC and AAG signal was often different at the same location. Not all heterochromatic bands showed AAC signals and a few AAC sites were detected that are neither AAG nor N band positive, revealing the complex and heterogeneous genome organization of wheat and identifying the four most frequent classes of banded chromatin. Clusters characterised by a high concentration of AG repeats were detected on chromosome arms 3BS, 4BL, 5BS and 5BL, adjacent to AAG sites. The only detectable CAT cluster was found on chromosome arm 3BL, making this oligonucleotide valuable in identifying this particular chromosome. SSR in situ hybridization is useful as a diagnostic tool in cytogenetics and for understanding genome organization in wheat. Received: 21 September 1999 / Accepted: 19 March 2000     

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.     

Rye chromosome translocations in hexaploid wheat: a re-evaluation of the loss of heterochromatin from rye chromosomes

Summary Using in situ hybridization techniques, we have been able to identify the translocated chromosomes resulting from whole arm interchanges between homoeologous chromosomes of wheat and rye. This was possible because radioactive probes are available which recognize specific sites of highly repeated sequence DNA in either rye or wheat chromosomes. The translocated chromosomes analysed in detail were found in plants from a breeding programme designed to substitute chromosome 2R of rye into commercial wheat cultivars. The distribution of rye highly repeated DNA sequences showed modified chromosomes in which (a) most of the telomeric heterochromatin of the short arm and (b) all of the telomeric heterochromatin of the long arm, had disappeared. Subsequent analyses of these chromosomes assaying for wheat highly repeated DNA sequences showed that in type (a), the entire short arm of 2R had been replaced by the short arm of wheat chromosome 2B and in (b), the long arm of 2R had been replaced by the long arm of 2B. The use of these probes has also allowed us to show that rye heterochromatin has little effect on the pairing of the translocated wheat arm to its wheat homologue during meiosis. We have also characterized the chromosomes resulting from a 1B-1R translocation event.From these results, we suggest that the observed loss of telomeric heterochromatin from rye chromosomes in wheat is commonly due to wheat-rye chromosome translocations.     

Chromosomal organization of simple sequence repeats in the Pacific oyster (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Crassostrea gigas</Emphasis>): (GGAT)<Subscript>4</Subscript>, (GT)<Subscript>7</Subscript> and (TA)<Subscript>10</Subscript> chromosome patterns

Chromosome identification is essential in oyster genomic research. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) offers new opportunities for the identification of oyster chromosomes. It has been used to locate satellite DNAs, telomeres or ribosomal DNA sequences. However, regarding chromosome identification, no study has been conducted with simple sequence repeats (SSRs). FISH was used to probe the physical organization of three particular SSRs, (GGAT)(4), (GT)(7) and (TA)(10) onto metaphase chromosomes of the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas. Hybridization signals were observed in all the SSR probes, but the distribution and intensity of signals varied according to the oligonucleotide repeat. The intercalary, centromeric and telomeric bands were observed along the chromosomes, and for each particular repeat every chromosome pair presented a similar pattern, allowing karyotypic analysis with all the SSRs tested. Our study is the first in mollusks to show the application of SSR in situ hybridization for chromosome identification and karyotyping. This technique can be a useful tool for oyster comparative studies and to understand genome organization in different oyster taxa.     

Random amplification of polymorphic DNA with conserved sequences reveals genome-specific monomorphic amplicons: Implications in clad identification

The enzymatic amplification of genomic DNA with an arbitrary primer generates informative band profile useful for genome analysis. We used a set of synthetic oligodeoxyribonucleotide primers OAT15.2 (GACA)_3.75, OAT18. 2 (GACA)_4.5, OAT24.2 (GACA)₆, OAT36 (GACA)₉, comprising 4–9 consecutive units of GACA repeat, O33.15 (CACCTCTCCACCTGCC) and 033.6 (CCTCCAGCCCTCCTCCAGCCCT) for RAPD reactions of genomic DNA from different sources. The GACA based oligos of 15 and 18 base residues generated discernible genome specific amplicons whereas primers larger than 18 bases revealed smeary signals. The other oligos O33.15 and O33.6 also generated genome specific amplicons with more bands compared with those obtained from OAT15.2 or OAT18.2. The presence of OAT15.1 (GATA)_3.75 and OAT15.2 (GACA)_3.75 sequences in different genomes were ascertained by independent dot-blot hybridization prior to using them for RAPD reactions. The RAPD amplicons generated by evolutionarily conserved primer(s) or sequences shared by many species may be useful for clad identification in controversial systematics, comparative genome analysis, and for establishing the phylogenetic status of an organism.     

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.     

The contribution of short repeats of low sequence complexity to large conifer genomes

The abundance and genomic organization of six simple sequence repeats, consisting of di-, tri-, and tetranucleotide sequence motifs, and a minisatellite repeat have been analyzed in different gymnosperms by Southern hybridization. Within the gymnosperm genomes investigated, the abundance and genomic organization of micro- and minisatellite repeats largely follows taxonomic groupings. We found that only particular simple sequence repeat motifs are amplified in gymnosperm genomes, while others such as (CAC)₅ and (GACA)₄ are present in only low copy numbers. The variation in abundance of simple sequence motifs reflects a similar situation to that found in angiosperms. Species of the two- and three-needle pine section Pinus are relatively conserved and can be distinguished from Pinus strobus which belongs to the five-needle pine section Strobus. The hybridization pattern of Picea species, bald cypress and gingko were different from the patterns detected in the Pinus species. Furthermore, sequences with homology to the plant telomeric repeat (TTTAGGG)_n have been analyzed in the same set of gymnosperms. Telomere-like repeats are highly amplified within two- and three- needle pine genomes, such as slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm. var. elliottii), compared to P. strobus, Picea species, bald cypress and gingko. P. elliottii var. elliottii was used as a representative species to investigate the chromosomal organization of telomere-like sequences by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). The telomere-like sequences are not restricted to the ends of chromosomes; they form large intercalary and pericentric blocks showing that they are a repeated component of the slash pine genome.Conifers have genomes larger than 20000 Mbp, and our results clearly demonstrate that repeats of low sequence complexity, such to (CA)₈, (GA)₈, (GGAT)₄ and (GATA)₄, and minisatellite- and telomere-like sequences represent a large fraction of the repetitive DNA of these species. The striking differences in abundance and genome organization of the various repeat motifs suggest that these repetitive sequences evolved differently in the gymnosperm genomes investigated. Received: 1 October 1999 / Accepted: 3 November 1999     

Production of wheat-rye substitution lines and identification of chromosome composition of karyotypes using C-banding, GISH, and SSR markers

Based on the cross (Triticum aestivum L. × Secale cereale L.) × T. aestivum L., wheat-rye substitution lines (2n = 42) were produced with karyotypes containing, instead of a pair of homologous wheat chromosomes, a homeologous pair of rye chromosomes. The chromosome composition of these lines was described by GISH and C-banding methods, and SSR analysis. The results of genomic in situ hybridization demonstrated that karyotype of these lines included one pair of rye chromosomes each and lacked wheat-rye translocations. C-banding and SSR markers were used to identify rye chromosomes and determine the wheat chromosomes at which the substitution occurred. The lines were designated 1R(1D), 2R(2D)₂, 2R(2D)₃, 3R(3B), 6R(6A)₂. The chromosome composition of lines 1R(1A), 2R(W)₁, 5R(W), 5R(5A), and 6R(W)₁, which were earlier obtained according to the same scheme for crossing, was characterized using methods of telocentric analysis, GISH, C-banding, and SSR analysis. These lines were identified as 1R(1A), 2R(2D)₁, 5R(5D), 5R(5A), and 6R(6A)₁, C-banding of chromosomes belonging to line 1R(1A) revealed the presence of two translocated chromosomes (3DS.3DL-del. and 4AL.W) during simultaneous amplification of SSR markers located on 3DL and 4AS arms. The “combined” long arm of the newly derived chromosome 4A is assumed to be formed from the long arm of chromosome 4AS itself and a deleted segment 3DL. All examined lines are cytologically stable, except for 3R(3B), which does not affect the stability of rye 3R chromosome transfer. Chromosome identification and classification of the lines will permit them to be models for genetic studies that can be used thereafter as promising “secondary gene pools” for the purpose of plant breeding.     

Molecular cytogenetic analysis of radiation-induced wheat-rye terminal and intercalary chromosomal translocations and the detection of rye chromatin specifying resistance to Hessian fly

Radiation-induced wheat-rye chromosome translocation lines resistant to Hessian fly, Mayetiola destructor (say), were analyzed by in situ hybridization using total genomic and highly repetitive rye DNA probes pSc119 and pSc74. In situ hybridization analysis revealed the exact locations of the translocation breakpoints and allowed the estimation of the sizes of the transferred rye segments. T6BS·6BL-6RL and T4BS· 4BL-6RL are terminal translocations with either most of the complete long arm of rye chromosome 6R or only the distal 57% of the 6RL arm attached to the long arms of wheat chromosomes 6B and 4B, respectively. The breakpoint in T6BS·6BL-6RL is located at a fraction length (FL) of 0.11 in the long arm of T6BS 6BL-6RL and at FL 0.46 in the long arm of T4BS·4BL-6RL. Ti4AS·4AL-6RL-4AL is an intercalary translocation with the breakpoint located at FL 0.06 in the long arm of wheat chromosome 4A. The inserted 6RL segment, with the Hessian fly resistance gene, has a size of 0.7 m, and is the smallest and, so far, the first radiation-induced intercalary translocation identified in wheat.by R. Apples     

Chromosomal detection of simple sequence repeats (SSRs) using nondenaturing FISH (ND-FISH)

Simple Sequence Repeats (SSRs) are known to be scattered and present in high number in eukaryotic genomes. We demonstrate that dye-labeled oligodeoxyribonucleotides with repeated mono-, di-, tri, or tetranucleotide motifs (15-20 nucleotides in length) have an unexpected ability to recognize SSR target sequences in non-denatured chromosomes. The results show that all these probes are able to invade chromosomes, independent of the size of the repeat motif, their nucleotide sequence, or their ability to form alternative B-DNA structures such as triplex DNA. This novel and remarkable property of binding SSR oligonucleotides to duplex DNA targets permitted the development of a non-denaturing fluorescence in situ hybridization method that quickly and efficiently detects SSR-enriched chromosome regions in mitotic, meiotic, and polytene chromosome spreads of different model organisms. These results have implications for genome analysis and for investigating the roles of SSRs in chromosome structure and function.     

The effect of the wheat Ph1 locus on chromatin organisation and meiotic chromosome pairing analysed by genome painting

The Ph1 locus in wheat influences homo(eo)logous chromosome pairing. We have analysed its effect on the behaviour and morphology of two 5RL rye telosomes in a wheat background, by genomic in situ hybridisation (GISH), using rye genomic DNA as a probe. Our main objective was to study the effect of different alleles of the Ph1 locus on the morphology and behaviour of the rye telosomes in interphase nuclei of tapetal cells and in pollen mother cells at early stages of meiosis. The telosomes, easily detectable at all stages, showed a brightly fluorescing chromomere in the distal region and a constriction in the proximal part. These diagnostic markers enabled us to define the centromere and telomere regions of the rye telosomes. In the presence of functional copies of Ph1, the rye telosomes associated at pre-leptotene, disjoined and reorganised their shape at leptotene, and became fully homologously paired at zygotene – pachytene. In plants without functional alleles (ph1bph1b), the rye telosomes displayed an aberrant morphology, their premeiotic associations were clearly disturbed and their pairing during zygotene and pachytene was reduced and irregular. The Ph1 locus also influenced the behaviour of rye telosomes in the interphase nuclei of tapetal cells: in Ph1Ph1 plants, the rye telosomes occupied distinct, parallel-oriented domains, whereas in tapetal nuclei of ph1bph1b plants they were intermingled with wheat chromosomes and showed a heavily distorted morphology. The results shed new light on the effect of Ph1, and suggest that this locus is involved in chromosome condensation and/or scaffold organisation. Our explanation might account for various apparently contradictory and pleiotropic effects of this locus on both premeiotic associations of homologues, the regulation of meiotic homo(eo)logous chromosome pairing and synapsis, the resolution of bivalent interlockings and centromere behaviour. Received: 27 April 1998; in revised form: 5 August 1998 / Accepted: 11 August 1998     

DNA condensation with polyamines. II. Electron microscopic studies

Approximately 75% of the wheat and rye genomes consist of repeated sequence DNA. Three-quarters of the non-repeated or few copy sequences in wheat are less than 1000 base-pairs long, whilst in rye approximately half of the non-repeated or few copy sequences are in this size class. Most of the remaining non-repeated or few copy sequences appear to be a few thousand base-pairs long.In this paper a somewhat novel approach has been used to quantitatively analyse the linear organisation of the large proportion of repeated sequence DNA as well as the non-repeated DNA in the wheat and rye genomes. Repeated sequences in the genomes of oats, barley, wheat and rye have been used as probes to distinguish and isolate four different groups of repeated sequences and their neighbouring sequences from the wheat and rye genomes. Radioactively labelled wheat or rye DNA fragments ranging from 200 to over 9000 nucleotides long were incubated separately with large excesses of denatured unlabelled oats, barley, wheat and rye DNAs to C_ot values which enable all the repeated sequences of the unlabelled DNA to renature. The following parameters were then determined from the proportions of total labelled DNA in fragments which had at least partially renatured. (1) The proportions of the repeated sequences in the labelled DNAs that were able to hybridise to each unlabelled DNA; (2) the mean distance apart of the hybridising sequences on the longer labelled fragments; and (3) the proportion of the genome in which the hybridising sequences were concentrated. Analysis of these results, together with those of separate experiments designed to quantitatively estimate the nature of sequences unable to reanneal with the repeated sequences of each of the probe DNAs, have enabled schematic maps to be drawn which show how the repeated and non-repeated sequences are arranged in the wheat and rye genomes.Both genomes are constructed from millions of relatively short sequences, most of them considerably shorter than 3000 base-pairs. This structure was recognised because adjacent sequences can be distinguished by their frequency of repetition (i.e. repeated or non-repeated) or by their evolutionary origin. Approximately 40 to 45% of the wheat genome and 30 to 35% of the rye genome consists of short non-repeated sequences interspersed between short repeated sequences. Approximately 50% of the wheat genome and 60% of the rye genome consists of tandemly arranged repeated sequences of different evolutionary origins. It is postulated that much of this complex repeated sequence DNA could have arisen from amplification of compound sequences, each containing repeated and non-repeated sequence DNA.Short repeated sequences with a number average length of around 200 base-pairs and which occupy about 20% of the wheat and rye genomes are related to repeated sequences also found in oats and barley. They are concentrated in 60 to 70% of the wheat and rye genomes, being interspersed with different short repeated sequences and a significant proportion of the short non-repeated sequences.Rye chromosomes contain more DNA than wheat chromosomes. This is principally, but not entirely, due to additional repeated sequence DNA. Many quantitative changes appear to have occurred in both genomes, possibly affecting most families of repeated sequences, since wheat and rye diverged from a common ancestor. Both species contain species-specific repeated sequences (24% of rye genome; 16% of wheat genome) but a large proportion of these are closely interspersed with repeated sequences found in both genomes.     

垂穗披碱草与达乌里披碱草基因组细胞遗传学比较

采用顺序FISH-GISH技术,12个重复序列探针,包括9个三核苷酸简单重复序列、2个卫星DNA重复序列pSc119.2和pAs1以及5S rDNA,通过重复序列的物理定位对达乌里披碱草和垂穗披碱草基因组中部分重复序列的分布特征进行了比较分析,为进一步研究垂穗披碱草和达乌里披碱草的物种形成及演化提供新的分子细胞遗传学证据。结果表明:(1)所有的序列在这2个物种的染色体上都能产生可检测的杂交信号,且在2个物种中(AAC)_(10)、(ACT)_(10)、(CAT)_(10)都表现为共分布,(AAG)_(10)与(AGG)_(10)表现为近似共分布;2个物种的H基因组除5S rDNA序列外,其他序列都产生强烈且丰富的杂交位点,St与Y基因组不同重复序列探针的荧光位点数目有所差别,表现为5S rDNA、pSc119.2、(AAC)_(10)、(CAT)_(10)、(ACT)_(10)、(CAC)_(10)探针的信号位点较少或无信号,其余的探针信号位点稍多。(2)达乌里披碱草的第2对染色体上具有(AAC)_(10)、(CAT)_(10)、(ACT)_(10)的杂交位点、第6对染色体上具有(CAC)_(10)的杂交位点,而在垂穗披碱草的St基因组中未观察到上述序列杂交位点;达乌里披碱草St基因组仅有第4对染色体的端部具有pSc119.2杂交位点,而在垂穗披碱草St基因组中的pSc119.2杂交位点位于第5对染色体长臂的间隔区;相对于达乌里披碱草,垂穗披碱草St和Y基因组染色体含有更多的重复序列杂交位点。(3)达乌里披碱草的H/Y基因组间易位在不同材料间是稳定存在的,达乌里披碱草基因组相对稳定,不同材料间H基因组重复序列杂交信号多态性高于St和Y基因组;垂穗披碱草基因组的变异较大,不同材料间St和Y基因组重复序列杂交信号多态性高于H基因组。研究认为,垂穗披碱草和达乌里披碱草的H基因组均起源于布顿大麦,St基因组可能起源于不同的拟鹅观草属物种;与达乌里披碱草相比垂穗披碱草St与Y基因组可能具有更高的染色体结构变异性,而垂穗披碱草St与Y基因组变异较大的原因可能是与同区域分布的含StY基因组的物种发生了种间渗透杂交。