Genetic analysis and molecular mapping of a presenescing leaf gene psll in rice （Oryza sativa L.）

A rice psl1 （presenescing leaf） mutant was obtained from a japonica variety Zhonghua 11 via radiation of ^60Co-γ in M2 generation. Every leaf of the mutant began to wither after it reached the biggest length, while the leaves of the wild variety could keep green for 25--35 d. In this study, genetic analysis and gene mapping were carried out for the mutant identified. The SSR marker analysis showed that the mutant was controlled by a single recessive gene （psl1） located on chromosome 2. Fine mapping of the psl1 locus was conducted with 34 new STS markers developed around psl1 anchored region based on the sequence diversity between Nipponbare and 93-11. The psl1 was further mapped between two STS markers, STS2-19 and STS2-26, with genetic distances of 0.43 and 0.11 cM, respectively, while cosegregated with STS2-25. A BAC contig was found to span the psl1 locus, the region being delimited to 48 kb. This result was very useful for cloning of the psl1 gene.     

Genetic analysis and mapping of rice （Oryza sativa L.） male-sterile （OsMS-L） mutant

A rice male-sterile mutant OsMS-L of japonica cultivar 9522 background, was obtained in M4 population treated with ^60Co γ-Ray. Genetic analysis indicated that the male.sterile phenotype was controlled by a single recessive gene. Results of tissue section showed that at microspore stage, OsMS-L tapetum was retarded. Then tapetal calls expanded and microspores degenerated. No matured pollens were observed in OsMS-L anther locus. To map OsMS-L locus, an F2 population was constructed from the cross between the OsMS-L (japonica) and LongTeFu B(indica). Firstly, the OsMS-L locus was roughly mapped between two SSR markers, RM109 and RM7562 on chromosome 2. And then eleven polymorphic markers were developed for further fine fine-mapping. At last the OsMS-L locus was mapped between the two lnDel markers, Lhsl0 and Lhs6 with genetic distance of 0.4 cM, respectively. The region was delimited to 133 kb. All these results were useful for further cloning and functional analysis of OsMS-L.     

Characterization and mapping of a lesion mimic mutant in rice （Oryza sativa L.）

A rice initiation-type lesion mimic mutant (lmi) was identified, which was isolated from an indica rice Zhongxian 3037 through γ radiation mutagenesis. Trypan blue staining and sterile culture revealed that the mutant spontaneously developed lesions on the leaves in a developmentally regulated and light-dependent manner. Genetic analysis indicated that the lesion mimic trait was controlled by a single resessive locus. Using public molecular markers and an F2 population derived from lmi and 93-11, we mapped the lmi locus to the short arm of chromosome 8, nearby the centromere, between two SSR markers RM547 and RM331. The genetic distance was 1.2 and 3.2 cM, respectively. Then according to the public rice genomic sequence between the two SSR markers, lmi was further finely tagged by three CAPS markers: C4135-8, C4135-9 and C4135-10. And lmi locus was a co-segregated with marker C4135-10, providing a starting point for lmi gene cloning.     

Genetic analysis and molecular mapping of a presenescing leaf gene psl1 in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

A rice psl1 (presenescing leaf) mutant was obtained from a japonica variety Zhonghua 11 via radiation of 60Co-γ in M2 generation. Every leaf of the mutant began to wither after it reached the big-gest length,while the leaves of the wild variety could keep green for 25―35 d. In this study,genetic analysis and gene mapping were carried out for the mutant identified. The SSR marker analysis showed that the mutant was controlled by a single recessive gene (psl1) located on chromosome 2. Fine mapping of the psl1 locus was conducted with 34 new STS markers developed around psl1 anchored region based on the sequence diversity between Nippon-bare and 93-11. The psl1 was further mapped be-tween two STS markers,STS2-19 and STS2-26,with genetic distances of 0.43 and 0.11 cM,respectively,while cosegregated with STS2-25. A BAC contig was found to span the psl1 locus,the region being delim-ited to 48 kb. This result was very useful for cloning of the psl1 gene.     

Morphology and mapping analysis of rice (Oryza sativa L.) clustered spikelets( Cl) mutant

The rice clustered spikelets (Cl) mutant exhibits a phenotype that most of branch apical have 2-3 spikelets clustered together,SEM (scanning electron microscope )observation suggested that the Cl gene controlled branch apical development,and influenced the terminal spikelets elongation,The spikelet number was reduced in mutant,indicating that Cl may also have an effect on spikelet number,To map Cl locus,two F2 mapping populations derived from the crosses between the Cl and ZhongHua11,and Cl and ZheFu802 were constructed ,respectively,The Cl locus was roughly mapped between two CAPS markers CK0214 and SS0324,A further fine mapping analysis showed that the Cl locus was mapped between makers R0674E and Cl12560,with genetic distances of 0.2 and 2.1 cM,respectively ,Then we found a PAC conting spanning Cl locus,the region was delimited to 196 kb.This results was useful for cloning of the Cl gene,Allelism test demonstrated that Cl was allelic to Cl2 another rice clustered spikelets mutant.     

Fine mapping of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ht2 (Helminthosporium turcicum</Emphasis> resistance 2) gene in maize

Fine mapping of Helminthosporium turcicum resistance gene Ht2 is extremely valuable for map-based cloning of the Ht2 gene,gaining a better knowledge of the distribution of resistance genes in maize genome and marker-assisted selection in maize breeding.An F2 mapping population was developed from a cross between a resistant inbred line 77Ht2 and a susceptible inbred line Huobai.With the aid of RFLP marker analyses,the Ht2 gene was mapped between the RFLP markers UMC89 and BNL2.369on chromosome 8,with a genetic distance of 0.9cM to BNL2.369.There was a linkage between SSR markers UMC1202,BNLG1152,UMC1149 and the Ht2 gene by SSR assay,Among the SSR markers,the genetic distance between UMC1149 and the Ht2 gene was 7.2cM,By bulked segregant analysis 7 RAPD-amplified products which were probably linked to the Ht2 gene were selected after screening 450 RAPD primers and converted the single-copy ones into SCAR markers.Linkage analysis showed that the genetic distance between the SCAR marker SD-06633 and the Ht2 gene was 0.4cM.From these results,a part of linkage map around the Ht2 gene was constructed.     

Genetic and physical mapping of AvrPi7, a novel avirulence gene of Magnaporthe oryzae using physical position-ready markers

Rice blast, caused by the fungal pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae, is one of the most devastating crop diseases worldwide. The avirulence gene corresponding to rice blast resistance gene Pi7 in field isolate CHL346 was inherited as a single gene, designated AvrPi7, in a segregating population consisting of 189 ascospore progenies derived from a cross between field isolates CHL346 and CHL42. In order to determine the chromosomal location of the AvrPi7 locus, a total of 121 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were developed based on the whole-genome sequence of reference isolate 70-15 of M. oryzae. Linkage analysis of the locus with these SSR markers showed that eight SSR markers on chromosome 1 were linked to the locus, among which the closest flanking markers MS1-9 and MS1-15 were 3.2 and 16.4 cM from the locus, respectively. For fine mapping, additional PCR-based makers including eight SSR markers and three candidate avirulence gene (CAG) markers were developed in the region flanking both markers. The AvrPi7 locus was genetically delimited within a 1.6-cM region flanked by markers MS1-21 and MS1-22, and co-segregated with the marker CAG2. To construct a physical map of the AvrPi7 locus, molecular markers linked to the Avr gene were mapped on the supercontigs of the ref-erence isolate 70-15 through bioinformation analysis (BIA). Consequently, the AvrPi7 locus was delim-ited to a 75-kb interval flanked by markers MS1-21 and MS1-22 based on the reference sequence. Merodiploids observed in this study are also discussed.     

Fine mapping of an incomplete recessive gene for leaf rolling in rice （Oryza sativa L.）

Genetic analysis and fine mapping of genes controlling leaf rolling were conducted using two backcrossed generations （BC4F2, BC4F3） derived from a cross between QMX, a non-rolled leaf cultivar as a recurrent parent, and JZB, a rolled leaf NIL of ZB as a donor parent. Results indicated that leaf rolling was mainly controlled by an incompletely recessive major gene, namely rl（t）, and at the same time, affected by quantitative trait loci （QTLs） and/or the environment. A genetic linkage map was constructed using MAPMAKER/EXP3.0 with eight polymorphic markers on chromosome 2, which were screened by BAS method from 500 SSR markers and 15 newly developed insertion/deletion （InDel） markers. The position of rl（t） was estimated with composite interval mapping （CIM） method using WinQTLcart2.5. Gene rl（t） was mapped between markers InDel 112 and RM3763, and 1.0 cM away from InDel 112 using 241 plants in BC4F2 population. To fine map r（t）, one BC4F3 line with 855 plants was generated from one semi-rolled leaf plant in BC4F2. Four new polymorphic InDel markers were developed, including InDel 112.6 and InDel 113 located between markers InDe1112 and RM3763. Based on the information of recombination offered by 191 rolled leaf plants and 185 non-rolled leaf plants from the BC4F3 line ,we mapped r（t） to a 137-kb region between markers InDel 112.6 and InDel 113. Homologous gene analysis suggested that r（t）was probably related to the process of leaf development regulated by microRNA.     

Construction of a genetic map with SRAP markers and localization of the gene responsible for the first-flower-node trait in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.)

With an F2 population from the cross of two cucumber inbred lines, S06 and S52, sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) was used to construct a genetic linkage map in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.). Sixty-four SRAP primer combinations generated 108 polymorphic bands in the F2 population analysis. The average of polymorphic bands produced by one primer pair was 1.5, and the maximum was 5. Using Mapmaker 3.0, a linkage map was constructed, which consisted of 77 SRAP markers distributed in nine linkage groups (LOD≥3.0) and spanned 1114.2 cM with an average interval of 14.5 cM between markers. The gene for the first-flower-node trait, termed ffn, was mapped to linkage group Ⅸ, flanked by DC1EM5 and ME7EM2A at 10.3 cM and 12.1 cM distance, respectively.     

Genetic analysis and fine mapping of the pubescence gene GL6 in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

The pubescence of the leaf blade surface is an important agronomic characteristic for rice morphology and significantly influences rice growth as well as physiological characteristics. This characteristic was analyzed in F1 and F2 plants derived by crossing cultivar 75-1-127 with the indica cultivar Minghui 63, as well as the glabrous cultivar Lemont and indica cultivar 9311. Results indicated that the pubescence of the leaf blade surface was a dominant trait and controlled by a single gene. The GL6 gene was primarily mapped on rice chromosome 6 with recessive F2 population derived from 75-1-127/Minghui 63 by combining bulked segregation analysis and recessive class analysis using the Mapmaker3.0/MapDraw software. The genetic distances between the simple sequence repeat markers RM20491 and RM20547 were 7.2 and 2.2 cM, respectively. The GL6 gene was fine mapped in the interval between InDel-106 and InDel-115 at genetic distances of 0.3 and 0.1 cM, respectively. The large, recessive F2 population was derived from 75-1-127/Minghui 63. A high-resolution genetic and physical map of GL6 was constructed. Derived from the map-based sequences published by the International Rice Genome Sequencing Project, the GL6 gene was localized at an interval of 79 (japonica) and 116.82 kb (9311) bracketed by InDel-106 and InDel-115 within the BAC accession numbers AP008403 and AP005760. Seven annotated genes (japonica) and eight annotated genes (9311) were present. The basis was further set for GL6 cloning and function analysis.     

Genetic and physical finemapping of the Sc locus conferring indica-japonica hybrid sterility in rice （Oryza sativa L.）

Hybrid sterility is a major hindrance to utilizing the heterosis in indica-japonica hybrids. To isolate a gene Sc conferring the hybrid sterility, the locus was mapped using molecular markers and an F2 population derived from a cross between near isogenic lines. A primary linkage analysis showed that Sc was linked closely with 4 markers on chromosome 3, on which the genetic distance between a marker RG227 and Sc was 0.07 cM. Chromosome walking with a rice TAC genomic library was carried out using RG227 as a starting probe, and a contig of ca. 320 kb covering the Sc locus was constructed. Two TAC clones, M45EI4 and M90J01 that might cover the Sc locus, were partially sequenced. By searching the rice sequence databases with sequences of the TACs and RG227 a japonica rice BAC sequence, OSJNBb0078P24 was identified. By comparing the TAC and BAC sequences, six new PCR-based markers were developed. With these markers the Sc locus was further mapped to a region of 46 kb. The results suggest that the BAC OSJNBb0078P24 and TAC M45EI4 contain the Sc gene. Six ORFs were predicted in the focused 46-kb region.     

Genetic analysis and gene fine mapping of a rolling leaf mutant (<Emphasis Type="Italic">rl</Emphasis><Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">11(t)</Emphasis></Subscript>) in rice (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Oryza sativa</Emphasis> L.)

The exploration of new genes controlling rice leaf shape is an important foundation for rice functional genomics and plant archi-tecture improvement. In the present study, we identified a rolling leaf mutant from indica variety Yuefeng B, named rl_11(t), which exhibited reduced plant height, rolling and narrow leaves. Leaves in rl_11(t) mutant showed abnormal number and morphology of veins compared with those in wild type plants. In addition, rl_11(t) mutant was less sensitive to the inhibitory effect of auxin than the wild type. Genetic analysis suggested that the mutant was controlled by a single recessive gene. Gene Rl_11(t) was initially mapped between SSR markers RM6089 and RM124 on chromosome 4. Thirty-two new STS markers around the Rl_11(t) region were developed for fine mapping. A physical map encompassing the Rl_11(t) locus was constructed and the target gene was finally delimited to a 31.6 kb window between STS4-25 and STS4-26 on BAC AL606645. This provides useful information for cloning of Rl_11(t) gene.     

Mapping and characterization of a tiller-spreading mutant<Emphasis Type="Italic">lazy-2</Emphasis> in rice

Tiller angle of rice is an important agronomic trait that contributes to breed new varieties with ideal architecture. In this study, we report mapping and characterization of a rice mutant defective in tiller angle. At the seedling stage, the newly developed tillers of the mutant plants grow with a large angle that leads to a “lazy“ phenotype at the mature stage. Genetic analysis indicates that this tillerspreading phenotype is controlled by one recessive gene that is allelic to a reported mutant la. Therefore, the mutant was named la-2 and la renamed la-1. To map and clone LA, we constructed a large mapping population. Genetic linkage analysis showed that the LA gene is located between 2 SSR markers RM202 and RM229. By using the 6 newly-developed molecular markers, the LA gene was placed within a 0.4 cM interval on chromosome 11, allowing us to clone LA and study the mechanism that controls rice tiller angle at the molecular level.     

Fine mapping of <Emphasis Type="Italic">qHUS6.1</Emphasis>, a quantitative trait locus for silicon content in rice (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Oryza sativa</Emphasis> L.)

Silicon is essential for optimal growth of rice (Oryza sativa L.). This study was conducted to fine map qHUS6.1, a quantitative trait locus (QTL) for rice hull silicon content previously located in the interval RM510–RM19417 on the short arm of chromosome 6, and to analyze the effect of this QTL on the silicon content in different organs of rice. Selfed progenies of a residual heterozygous line of rice were detected using 13 microsatellite markers in the vicinity of qHUS6.1. Three plants with overlapping heterozygous segments were selected. Three sets of near isogenic lines (NILs) were developed from the selfed progenies of the 3 plants. They were grown in a paddy field and the silicon contents of the hull, flag leaf, and stem were measured at maturity. Based on analyses of the phenotypic distribution and variance among different genotypic groups in the same NIL set, a significant genotypic effect was shown in the NIL set that was heterogenous in the interval RM19410–RM5815, whereas a significant effect was not found in the remaining 2 NIL sets that were heterogenous in either of the intervals RM4923–RM19410 or RM19417–RM204. On comparison among the physical positions of the 3 heterogenous segments, qHUS6.1 was delimited to a 64.2-kb region flanked by RM19410 and RM19417 that contains nine annotated genes according to the genome sequence of Nipponbare. This QTL showed strong effects on all of the three traits tested, and the enhancing alleles were always derived from the paternal line Milyang 46. The present study will facilitate the cloning of qHUS6.1 and the exploration of new genetic resources for QTL fine mapping.     

Mining,characterization, and exploitation of EST-derived microsatellites in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gossypium barbadense</Emphasis>

Simple sequence repeats (SSRs) have been widely applied as molecular markers in genetic studies. However, the number of ex-pressed sequence tags (ESTs) and SSR markers from Gossypium barbadense is fewer than those from other cotton species. In this study, EST-SSR distribution from G. barbadense was characterized and new G. barbadense-derived EST-SSR markers were de-termined on the basis of the ESTs obtained by randomly sequencing 2 cDNA libraries associated with fiber development in G. barbadense. By mining 9697 non-redundant ESTs, a total of 638 SSR loci derived from 595 ESTs were observed. In G. barba-dense, the frequency of ESTs containing SSRs was 6.13%, with an average of 1 SSR in every 10.4 kb of EST sequence. Further-more, trinucleotide was found to be the most abundant repeat type among 2–6-nucleotide repeat types. It accounted for 26.6% of the total, followed by the hexanucleotide (26.0%) and pentanucleotide repeats (25.9%). Among all the repeat motifs, (AAG)n accounted for the highest proportion. EST-SSR primer pairs were developed using the Primer3 program, and the redundant primers were removed using the virtual PCR approach. As a result, 380 non-redundant EST-SSR primer pairs were developed and used to detect polymorphisms between the mapping parents G. hirsutum ‘TM-1’ and G. barbadense ‘Hai7124’ for constructing linkage groups in cultivated allotetraploid cotton. Out of these, 98 (25.8%) primer pairs detected polymorphisms. Finally, 95 polymorphic loci from 82 primer pairs were integrated into the backbone genetic map; of these, 42 were mapped into the A subgenome and 53 into the D subgenome. The present work provided the foundation for constructing saturated genetic maps and conducting comparative genomic studies on different cotton species.     

Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated Transformation of CryⅠA(b) gene to Trichoderma harzianum

In this study, Cry ⅠA(b) gene was successfully transferred into the biocontrol fungus Trichoderma harzianum with an efficiency of 60-180 transformants per 10^6 spores by using Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. Putative transformants were analyzed to test the presence of Cry ⅠA(b) gene by Southern blot. Most transformants contained a single T-DNA copy. RT-PCR analysis showed that the Cry ⅠA(b) gene was transcribed. Antifungal activities and insecticidal activities of the transformants were examined. There was no obvious difference in antifungal activities between the transformants and their wild strains. The modified mortalities of the transformants T1 and T2 were 69.57% and 91.30%, respectively. The tranformation system mediated by A. tumefaciens proved to be a powerful tool for the filamentous fungi transformation and functional genomic study with its high transformation frequency, simplicity of T-DNA integration, and genetic stability of transformants.     

Mapping of genetic modifiers of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Plcd1</Emphasis> in scant hair mice (<Emphasis Type="Italic">snthr</Emphasis><Superscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">1Bao</Emphasis></Superscript>)

The scant hair mutant mouse (locus symbol: snthr ^1Bao ) is a recessive mutation that originated in an ethylnitrosourea chemical carcinogenesis study using the DBA/2J inbred strain. The gene responsible for the mutation was previously determined to be phospholipase C, delta 1 (Plcd1; mutant allele symbol Plcd1 ^snthr1Bao ). To map the modifiers of Plcd1, an intercross (DBA/2J-snthr ^1Bao /snthr ^1Bao × C57BL/6J+/+) was conducted. The F2 mutant progeny exhibited a variety of alopecia phenotypes; all F2 mutants (n=507) were classified into 3 groups (mild, moderate, and severe alopecia) and genotyped based on 96 microsatellites. A major QTL was identified on mouse chromosome (mChr) 15 at 12 cM with an LOD score greater than 7 (P < 0.0001). Three minor QTLs were detected on mChr 2, 5, and 7 at 40, 84 and 48 cM, respectively. The QTLs on mChr 7 and 15 were associated with minor alopecia while the QTLs on mChr 2 and 5 were associated with moderate to severe alopecia. No antagonistic or synergistic effects among or between the 4 QTLs were found. Integrating the functions of the 4 potential regulatory QTLs and mutant Plcd1 ^snthr1Bao , we found that these QTLs might contribute to variations of scant hair severity by altering the Ca²⁺ signal pathways in mouse skin.