New insights into the origin of the B genome of hexaploid wheat: evolutionary relationships at the SPA genomic region with the S genome of the diploid relative Aegilops speltoides.
BACKGROUND
Several studies suggested that the diploid ancestor of the B genome of tetraploid and hexaploid wheat species belongs to the Sitopsis section, having Aegilops speltoides (SS, 2n = 14) as the closest identified relative. However molecular relationships based on genomic sequence comparison, including both coding and non-coding DNA, have never been investigated. In an attempt to clarify these relationships, we compared, in this study, sequences of the Storage Protein Activator (SPA) locus region of the S genome of Ae. speltoides (2n = 14) to that of the A, B and D genomes co-resident in the hexaploid wheat species (Triticum aestivum, AABBDD, 2n = 42).


RESULTS
Four BAC clones, spanning the SPA locus of respectively the A, B, D and S genomes, were isolated and sequenced. Orthologous genomic regions were identified as delimited by shared non-transposable elements and non-coding sequences surrounding the SPA gene and correspond to 35,268, 22,739, 43,397 and 53,919 bp for the A, B, D and S genomes, respectively. Sequence length discrepancies within and outside the SPA orthologous regions are the result of non-shared transposable elements (TE) insertions, all of which inserted after the progenitors of the four genomes divergence.


CONCLUSIONS
On the basis of conserved sequence length as well as identity of the shared non-TE regions and the SPA coding sequence, Ae speltoides appears to be more evolutionary related to the B genome of T. aestivum than the A and D genomes. However, the differential insertions of TEs, none of which are conserved between the two genomes led to the conclusion that the S genome of Ae. speltoides has diverged very early from the progenitor of the B genome which remains to be identified.
Salse
Jérome
J
UMR INRA 1165 - CNRS 8114 UEVE - Unité de Recherche en Génomique Végétale, 2, rue Gaston Crémieux, CP5708, 91057 Evry cedex, France. jsalse@clermont.inra.fr
Chagué
Véronique
V
Bolot
Stéphanie
S
Magdelenat
Ghislaine
G
Huneau
Cécile
C
Pont
Caroline
C
Belcram
Harry
H
Couloux
Arnaud
A
Gardais
Soazic
S
Evrard
Aurélie
A
Segurens
Béatrice
B
Charles
Mathieu
M
Ravel
Catherine
C
Samain
Sylvie
S
Charmet
Gilles
G
Boudet
Nathalie
N
Chalhoub
Boulos
B
D022202:Chromosomes, Artificial, Bacterial; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004171:Diploidy; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D018745:Genome, Plant / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny; D010940:Plant Proteins; D006109:Poaceae / Q000235:genetics*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014908:Triticum / Q000235:genetics*
D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D010940:Plant Proteins; C105777:storage protein activator