title: Cross-species identification of Mendel's I locus.
abstract: A key gene involved in plant senescence, mutations of which partially disable chlorophyll catabolism and confer stay-green leaf and cotyledon phenotypes, has been identified in Pisum sativum, Arabidopsis thaliana, and Festuca pratensis by using classical and molecular genetics and comparative genomics. A stay-green locus in F. pratensis is syntenically equivalent to a similar stay-green locus on rice chromosome 9. Functional testing in Arabidopsis of a homolog of the rice candidate gene revealed (i) senescence-associated gene expression and (ii) a stay-green phenotype after RNA interference silencing. Genetic mapping in pea demonstrated cosegregation with the yellow/green cotyledon polymorphism (I/i) first reported by Gregor Mendel in 1866.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, Aberystwyth SY23 3EB, UK. ian.armstead@bbsrc.ac.uk
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Armstead
authors.forename: Iain
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Donnison
authors.forename: Sylvain
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aubry
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Harper
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hörtensteiner
authors.forename: Caron
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: James
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mani
authors.forename: Matt
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moffet
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ougham
authors.forename: Luned
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Norman
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Weeden
authors.forename: Howard
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: King
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D002734:Chlorophyll / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D018548:Cotyledon / Q000502:physiology; D031751:Festuca / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D017343:Genes, Plant; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D018532:Pisum sativum / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D010641:Phenotype; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000502:physiology; D034622:RNA Interference
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D002734:Chlorophyll