The wrinkled-seed character of pea described by Mendel is caused by a transposon-like insertion in a gene encoding starch-branching enzyme.
We describe the cloning of the r (rugosus) locus of pea (Pisum sativum L.), which determines whether the seed is round or wrinkled. Wrinkled (rr) seeds lack one isoform of starch-branching enzyme (SBEI), present in round (RR or Rr) seeds. A major polymorphism in the SBEI gene between near-isogenic RR and rr lines shows 100% cosegregation with the r locus, establishing that the SBEI gene is at the r locus. An aberrant transcript for SBEI is produced in rr embryos. In rr lines the SBEI gene is interrupted by a 0.8 kb insertion that is very similar to the Ac/Ds family of transposable elements from maize. Failure to produce SBEI has complex metabolic consequences on starch, lipid, and protein biosynthesis in the seed.
Bhattacharyya
M K
MK
John Innes Institute, Norwich, United Kingdom.
Smith
A M
AM
Ellis
T H
TH
Hedley
C
C
Martin
C
C
D015061:1,4-alpha-Glucan Branching Enzyme / Q000235:genetics*; D000483:Alleles; D001483:Base Sequence; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D007887:Fabaceae / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D017343:Genes, Plant; D008040:Genetic Linkage; D005964:Glucosyltransferases / Q000235:genetics*; D007106:Immune Sera; D008957:Models, Genetic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D012639:Seeds; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D007106:Immune Sera; D004247:DNA; D005964:Glucosyltransferases; D015061:1,4-alpha-Glucan Branching Enzyme