Molecular study and C-banding of chromosomes in common wheat alloplasmic lines obtained from the backcross progeny of barley-wheat hybrids Hordeum vulgare L. (2n = 14) x Triticum aestivum L. (2n = 42) and differing in fertility

We studied common wheat alloplasmic lines differing in fertility traits, which had been obtained from the backcross progeny of barley-wheat hybrids Hordeum vulgare L. (2n = 14) x Triticum aestivum L. (2n = 42), using molecular analysis and chromosome C-banding. It was found that the nuclei of all alloplasmic lines studied, regardless of their fertility traits, contained only the common wheat chromosomes (2n = 42). The formation of line L-79(10)(3)F6, stable for self-fertility, from line L-79(10)(3)F6 was accompanied by changes of the proportions of simple sequence repeats of the parental common wheat varieties in the nuclear genome. The presence of barley genome fragments in line accessions with incomplete self-fertility was shown by RAPD. Heteroplasmy for mitochondrial genome loci was detected in these lines with the use of primers specific to the tMet-18S-5S repeat of mitochondrial ribosomal genes.     

Study of the backcross progeny of barley-wheat hybrids by the RAPD and RAMPO methods

The genomes of alloplasmic wheat lines were analyzed by PCR-based methods: random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and random amplified microsatellite polymorphism (RAMPO). Lines L-16(1) and L-17(2) were obtained by three backcrosses and line L-79(10), by four backcrosses of the barely-wheat hybrid Hordeum vulgare (2n = 14) (variety Nepolegayuschii) x Triticum aestivum (2n = 42) (variety Saratovskaya 29) with different common wheat varieties. These lines proved to be euploid (2n = 42). The aneuploid line L-9 (2n = 43 + t) was obtained after a second backcross of the hybrid H. geniculatum All. (2n = 28) x T. aestivum (2n = 42) (Pyrotrix 28) with the variety Pyrotrix 28. The RAPD patterns of L-16(1) and L-17(1) contained fragments present only in the patterns of the parental wheat varieties and, in addition, fragments absent from the latter. This fragment from the pattern of L-16(1) was cloned. Analysis of its primary structure showed that the difference between L-16(1) and the parental wheat genotypes may be related to a mutation that had occurred during the development of the alloplasmic line at the binding site of an arbitrary primer. The genomes of plants of the lines L-79(10) and L-9 contain, in addition to the RAPD fragments of wheat, those characteristic of barley. RAMPO revealed higher polymorphism level among wheat varieties than that detected by RAPD. The hybridization patterns of the lines L-16(1), L-17(1), and L-79(10) contained fragments specific for wheat, and the patterns of L-9 contained both wheat and barley fragments.     

Joining forces in the quest for orthologs

A report of the 24th International Conference on Yeast Genetics and Molecular Biology, Manchester, UK, 19-24 July 2009.     

An improved technique for obtaining well-spread metaphases from plants with numerous large chromosomes

Preparations that contain well-spread metaphase chromosomes are critical for plant cytogenetic analyses including chromosome counts, banding procedures, in situ hybridization, karyotyping and construction of ideograms. Chromosome spreading is difficult for plants with large and numerous chromosomes. We report here a technique for obtaining cytoplasm-free, well-spread metaphases from two Amaryllidaceae species: Sprekelia formosissima (2n = 120) and Hymenocallis howardii (2n = 96). The technique has three main steps: 1) pretreatment to cause chromosome condensation, 2) dripping onto tilted slides coated with a thin layer of pure acetic acid and 3) application of steam and acetic acid to produce cytoplasmic hydrolysis, which spreads the chromosomes.