Genotyping of the Q locus in wheat by a simple PCR-RFLP method.
The Q locus located on the long arm of chromosome 5A is a key factor in evolution and widespread cultivation of domesticated wheat. The Q locus pleiotropically affects many agronomically important traits including threshability, glume shape and tenacity, rachis fragility and others. Genotyping of the Q locus based on the complex traits is ambiguous due to their multi-genetic control through interactions with the Q locus. To determine the Q locus genotype of wheat accessions possessing A genome, we developed a method based on polymerase chain reaction - restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis. The Q and q alleles were clearly distinguished by PCR-RFLP analysis at six conserved single nucleotide polymorphisms in common wheat and wild and cultivated einkorn, emmer and timopheevi wheat. The Q locus genotype of Triticum sinskajae, which is one of the einkorn wheat species and exhibits free-threshing trait, was determined to be qq as expected. This simple PCR-RLFP-based genotyping method should serve as a useful tool in studying the origin of Q and thus wheat evolution after domestication and the following widespread cultivation.
Asakura
Nobuaki
N
Laboratory of Biology, Faculty of Engineering, Kanagawa University, Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama, Japan. asakura@kanagawa-u.ac.jp
Mori
Naoki
N
Nakamura
Chiharu
C
Ohtsuka
Ichiro
I
D001483:Base Sequence; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D032461:Chromosomes, Plant; D017343:Genes, Plant / Q000235:genetics*; D005838:Genotype; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length / Q000235:genetics; D040641:Quantitative Trait Loci / Q000235:genetics; D014908:Triticum / Q000235:genetics*