Development of PCR markers for the wheat leaf rust resistance gene Lr47

The leaf rust resistance gene Lr47 confers resistance to a wide spectrum of leaf rust strains. This gene was recently transferred from chromosome 7 S of Triticum speltoides to chromosome 7 A of hexaploid wheat Triticum aestivum. To facilitate the transfer of Lr47 to commercial varieties, the completely linked restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) locus Xabc465 was converted into a PCR-based marker. Barley clone ABC465 is orthologous to the type-I wheat sucrose synthase gene and primers were designed for the conserved regions between the two sequences. These conserved primers were used to amplify, clone and sequence different alleles from T. speltoides and T. aestivum. This sequence information was then used to identify the T. speltoides sequence, detect allele-specific mutations, and design specific primers. Cosegregation of the PCR product of these primers and the T. speltoides chromosome segment was confirmed in four backcross-populations. To complement this dominant marker, a cleavage amplified polymorphic sequence (CAPS) was developed for the 7 A allele of Xabc465. This CAPS marker is useful to select homozygous Lr47 plants from F₂or backcross-F₂ segregating populations, and in combination with the T. speltoides-specific primers is expected to facilitate the deployment of Lr47 in new bread wheat varieties. Received: 7 June 1999 / Accepted: 30 September 1999