Patterns of genome duplication within the Brassica napus genome

The progenitor diploid genomes (A and C) of the amphidiploid Brassica napus are extensively duplicated with 73% of genomic clones detecting two or more duplicate sequences within each of the diploid genomes. This comprehensive duplication of loci is to be expected in a species that has evolved through a polyploid ancestor. The majority of the duplicate loci within each of the diploid genomes were found in distinct linkage groups as collinear blocks of linked loci, some of which had undergone a variety of rearrangements subsequent to duplication, including inversions and translocations. A number of identical rearrangements were observed in the two diploid genomes, suggesting they had occurred before the divergence of the two species. A number of linkage groups displayed an organization consistent with centric fusion and (or) fission, suggesting this mechanism may have played a role in the evolution of Brassica genomes. For almost every genetically mapped locus detected in the A genome a homologous locus was found in the C genome; the collinear arrangement of these homologous markers allowed the primary regions of homoeology between the two genomes to be identified. At least 16 gross chromosomal rearrangements differentiated the two diploid genomes during their divergence from a common ancestor.Key words: genome evolution, Brassicaeae, polyploidy, homoeologous linkage groups.

Isoenzymes of aspartate aminotransferase in perennial and annual rye and their hybrids

Aspartate aminotransferase patterns were screened in a collection of rye genotypes that included 24 accessions of wild perennial rye (Secale montanum Guss.), 6 accessions of cultivated perennial Derzhavin and Tsitsin rye (Secale cereale × S. montanum), 15 accessions of winter and spring rye cultivars (S. cereale L.), and 9 accessions of perennial and annual rye genotypes bred from S. montanum ssp. kuprijanovii, Derzhavin rye, and winter rye for their resistance to fungal diseases. Aspartate aminotransferase is coded for by four loci. The data fit the model where AAT 1/4 is coded by Aat 1 and Aat 4, two duplicate loci, with null and two active alleles for each locus, alleles 1 and 3 for locus Aat 1 and alleles 2 and 4 for locus Aat 4; dimeric AAT 1/4 enzyme molecules are the products of both intralocus and interloci complementation. Allele 1 of Aat 1 was the most prominent in the isoenzyme patterns of the rye species. Alleles null and 2 of Aat 4 were twice as frequent in the perennial rye accessions, including Derzhavin and Tsitsin rye, than in winter and spring rye. In contrast, allele 4 of Aat 4 was characteristic of S. cereale. Within the screened collection, locus Aat 2 was monomorphic. Among three alleles of Aat 3, allele 2 dominated isoenzyme profiles of both rye species, whereas the other two alleles were species-specific: allele 1 was characteristic of S. montanum and allele 3 was found only in S. cereale. Key words : rye, Secale cereale, Secale derzhavinii, Secale montanum, aspartate aminotransferase, isoenzymes, perennial habit, polymorphism.

The 93D heat shock locus of Drosophila melanogaster: modulation by genetic and developmental factors

The 93D locus in Drosophila melanogaster and the 93D-like loci in other species of Drosophila, collectively termed hsr ω (heat shock RNA omega) locus, display several unique and intriguing features: (i) developmental regulation and selective induction by several agents like benzamide, colchicine, thiamphenicol, vit-B6; (ii) functional conservation in the genus but a very rapid DNA base sequence divergence; (iii) in spite of the rapid DNA sequence divergence, a strong conservation of organization (a 5′ unique region and a 3′ long tandem repeat region) and the pattern of multiple ω transcripts in the genus; (iv) a general nontranslatability of all the three major species of ω transcripts (an ~ 10-kb ω1, a 2.0-kb ω2, and a 1.2-kb ω3 species) although some recent evidence favours translatability of a small open reading frame (~ 23 – 27 amino acid long) in the ω3 transcript; (v) dispensability of the hsr ω locus for heat shock protein synthesis but indispensability for viability of flies. The heat shock inducibility of the 93D locus of D. melanogaster is selectively repressed by (i) combination of heat shock with another inducer of 93D; (ii) rearing of larvae at 10 °C; (iii) heterozygous deficiency for the 93D region; and (iv) conditions that alter levels of beta-alanine. In all cases of repression of the 93D locus during heat shock, the 87A and 87C loci (the two duplicate loci harbouring multiple copies for hsp70 and the alpha–beta repeat sequences (at 87C)) develop unequal puffs. The hsr ω locus appears to be under a complex system of regulation involving autoregulation as well as regulation by other factors in the cell which possibly operate through different control elements on the locus.Key words: benzamide, colchicine, beta-alanine, hsr ω, heat shock puffs, Drosophila.

Linkage relationships of 19 allozyme encoding loci within the commercial mushroom genus Pleurotus

Single spore derived Pleurotus spp. isolates from four commercial lines (two P. sapidus, one P. florida, and one P. ostreatus) and from two interspecific hybrids (P. sajor-caju × P. sapidus) were analyzed for single locus and joint segregation of 25 allozyme encoding loci. The two alleles at the individual loci departed significantly in their segregation from a 1:1 Mendelian ratio in 26% of the intraspecific and 29% of the interspecific tests. Six linkage groups were identified as follows: Dia-1 ~ Est-5; Tpi ~ Pgd-2 ~ Skdh; (Fum) ~ Pgm-2 ~ Pgd-1 ~ PepLgg-1 ~ Gr-2; Ndh ~ Gr-1; Np ~ PepGl-1 ~ Aat-2 ~ Pgk ~ Mup; and Gr-4 ~ Mdh-1. The duplicate loci coding for GR, PEP-LGG, PGM, and PGD were both not linked to each other and not part of duplicate linkage groups. Six loci were not shown to be linked to any other loci (Lap, Pgm-1, Ha, Gpi, PepPap, and PepLgg-2), although the latter two loci were only tested against four and five loci, respectively. The first linkage map of 19 allozyme encoding loci for the Pleurotus genome is presented.Key words: Pleurotus, allozymes, linkage map, inheritance, edible fungi.

Identification of the genomic locations of duplicate nucleotide sequences in maize by analysis of restriction fragment length polymorphisms.

While preparing a linkage map for maize based upon loci detected through the use of restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs), it was found that 62 of the 217 cloned maize sequences tested (29%) detected more than one fragment on genomic Southern blots. Thus, more than one nucleotide sequence is present within the maize genome which is in part homologous to each of these cloned sequences. The genomic locations of these ;;duplicate'' sequences were determined and it was found that they usually originated from different chromosomes. The process which produced them did not operate randomly as some pairs of chromosomes share many duplicate sequences while many other pairs share none. Furthermore, these shared duplicate sequences are generally arrayed in an ordered arrangement along these chromosomes. It is believed that chromosomal segments which contain several duplicate loci in a generally ordered arrangement must have had a common origin. The presence of these duplicated segments supports the idea that allopolyploidy may have been involved in the evolution of maize. Nevertheless, the duplicate loci do not primarily involve five pairs of chromosomes and thus, five pairs of homeologous chromosomes are not currently present within the maize genome. The data clearly indicate that maize is not a recent allotetraploid produced by hybridization between two individuals with similar genomic structures; however, the data are also consistent with the possibility of these shared duplicate chromosomal segments having been generated through internal duplication.