Cross-species identification of Mendel's I locus.
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.
Armstead
Ian
I
Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, Aberystwyth SY23 3EB, UK. ian.armstead@bbsrc.ac.uk
Donnison
Iain
I
Aubry
Sylvain
S
Harper
John
J
Hörtensteiner
Stefan
S
James
Caron
C
Mani
Jan
J
Moffet
Matt
M
Ougham
Helen
H
Roberts
Luned
L
Thomas
Ann
A
Weeden
Norman
N
Thomas
Howard
H
King
Ian
I
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
D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D002734:Chlorophyll