title: Differential expression of theHvCslF6gene late in grain development may explain quantitative differences in (1,3;1,4)-β-glucan concentration in barley.
abstract: The cellulose synthase-like geneHvCslF6, which is essential for (1,3;1,4)-β-glucan biosynthesis in barley, collocates with quantitative trait loci (QTL) for grain (1,3;1,4)-β-glucan concentration in several populations, including CDC Bold × TR251. Here, an alanine-to-threonine substitution (caused by the only non-synonymous difference between the CDC Bold and TR251HvCslF6alleles) was mapped to a position within HvCSLF6 that seems unlikely to affect enzyme stability or function. Consistent with this, transient expression of full-lengthHvCslF6cDNAs from CDC Bold and TR251 inNicotianabenthamianaled to accumulation of similar amounts of (1,3;1,4)-β-glucan accumulation. Monitoring ofHvCslF6transcripts throughout grain development revealed a significant difference late in grain development (more than 30 days after pollination), with TR251 [the parent with higher grain (1,3;1,4)-β-glucan] exhibiting higher transcript levels than CDC Bold. A similar difference was observed between Beka and Logan, the parents of another population in which a QTL had been mapped in theHvCslF6region. Sequencing of a putative promoter region ofHvCslF6revealed numerous polymorphisms between CDC Bold and TR251, but none between Beka and Logan. While the results of this work indicate that naturally occurring quantitative differences in (1,3;1,4)-β-glucan accumulation may be due tocis-regulated differences inHvCslF6expression, these could not be attributed to any specific DNA sequence polymorphism. Nevertheless, information onHvCslF6sequence polymorphism was used to develop molecular markers that could be used in barley breeding to select for the desired [low or high (1,3;1,4)-β-glucan] allele of the QTL.
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, Waite Research Institute, The University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, Glen Osmond, SA 5064 Australia ; Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia Bintulu Campus, 97000 Bintulu, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Sie Chuong
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, Waite Research Institute, The University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, Glen Osmond, SA 5064 Australia.
authors.forename: Neil J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Shirley
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, Waite Research Institute, The University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, Glen Osmond, SA 5064 Australia.
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Little
authors.affiliation: School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, Waite Research Institute, The University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, Glen Osmond, SA 5064 Australia.
authors.forename: Kelvin H P
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Khoo
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, Waite Research Institute, The University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, Glen Osmond, SA 5064 Australia.
authors.forename: Julian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schwerdt
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, Waite Research Institute, The University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, Glen Osmond, SA 5064 Australia.
authors.forename: Geoffrey B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Fincher
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, Waite Research Institute, The University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, Glen Osmond, SA 5064 Australia.
authors.forename: Rachel A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Burton
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, Waite Research Institute, The University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, Glen Osmond, SA 5064 Australia.
authors.forename: Diane E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Mather
keywords: (1,3;1,4)-β-Glucan concentration; Barley breeding; Grain quality; Molecular markers; QTL; Transcript profiles