title: Rye Bs disclose ancestral sequences in cereal genomes with a potential role in gametophyte chromatid segregation.
abstract: Two sequence families, E3900 and D1100, are amplified on the subtelomeric domain of the long arm of rye B chromosomes, the region that controls its drive mechanism. In this work, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with a number of primers spanning E3900 shows that the organization and nucleotide sequence of E3900-related portions are present and highly conserved on rye A chromosomes as well as in other cereals. Quantitative Real-Time PCR estimates two E3900 sequences to be represented in 100-150 copies on Bs and at least as single copies on As. A novel E3900-related sequence, with a deletion that results in a frameshift and subsequently an open reading frame with putative DNA binding motifs, is identified. Expression analysis of E3900 indicates identical transcription levels in leaves from plants with and without Bs, showing that the expression of these sequences must be silenced on Bs and tightly regulated on As in leaves. In contrast, E3900 transcription is upregulated during meiosis exclusively in plants with Bs, maintaining a high level of transcription in the gametophyte. Interestingly, Bs not only influence their own chromatid segregation but also that of the regular chromosome complement of both rye and wheat. There is a drastic increase in frequency of disrupted metaphase and anaphase cells in the first mitosis of pollen grains carrying Bs, which appears to be due to anomalous adherences between sister chromatids. Taken together, this work provides insight into how E3900 sequences are potentially associated with important evolutionary mechanisms involved in basic cellular processes.
authors.affiliation: Secção de Genética, Centro de Botânica Aplicada à Agricultura, Technical University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal. sofiapereira@isa.utl.pt
authors.forename: H Sofia
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.forename: Augusta
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barão
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Caperta
authors.forename: João
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rocha
authors.forename: Wanda
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Viegas
authors.forename: Margarida
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Delgado
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D002842:Chromatids; D020090:Chromosome Segregation; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D018745:Genome, Plant; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012434:Secale / Q000235:genetics*