Identification of a gene in the process of being lost from the genus Agrostis.
Lineage-specific gene loss is considered one of the processes contributing to speciation and genome diversity. Such gene loss has been inferred from interspecies comparisons of orthologous DNA segments. Examples of intraspecific gene loss are rare. Here we report identification of a gene, designated Crs-1 (creeping specific-1), that appears to be in the process of being lost from heterozygous populations of the species creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera). The Crs-1 gene encodes a protein with an N-terminal dirigent protein domain and a C-terminal lectin domain and is similar to the maize (Zea mays) beta-glucosidase aggregating factor. Most individual creeping bentgrass plants examined are lacking Crs-1. Some individuals are hemizygous for the Crs-1 locus, indicating major haplotype noncolinearity at that locus. Crs-1 was not detected in several other Agrostis species, indicating it is being lost from the genus. The Crs-1 locus in creeping bentgrass provides a rare example of the evolutionary process of gene loss occurring within a plant species.
Department of Plant Biology and Pathology and The Biotechnology Center for Agriculture and the Environment, Cook College, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08903, USA.
Huaijun Michael
HM
Li
David
D
Rotter
Stacy A
SA
Bonos
William A
WA
Meyer
Faith C
FC
Belanger
D031703:Agrostis / Q000235:genetics*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D005075:Biological Evolution; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000378:metabolism; D015870:Gene Expression; D017343:Genes, Plant; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
D018076:DNA, Complementary; D010940:Plant Proteins