Identification of a repeat sequence of rye DNA in wheat and related species

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and enhanced chemiluminescence (ECL) were used to determine the distribution of the rye-specific sequence contained in the pSc119.1 probe among wheat and related species. A specific pair of primers targeting this rye-specific sequence was used. A 745-bp fragment, the predicted size of pSc119.1, was present inSecale cereale, Triticum aestivum, XTriticosecale, Hordeum vulgare, H. bogdanii, andH. parodii. PCR results were verified by hybridizing the rye-specific probe pSc119.1 to dotblots of DNA from the different species used. Strong hybridization signals detected by ECL were consistent with the PCR results. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of PCR and dot-blot ECL in screening plants for defined DNA sequences, and indicate that pSc119.1 has counterparts with strong homology inT. aestivum, H. vulgare, H. bogdanii, andH. parodii.