Molecular cytogenetic characterization of an alloplasmic durum wheat line with a portion of chromosome 1D ofTriticum aestivumcarrying thescsaegene

Abstract

Triticum aestivum (2n = 6x = 42, AABBDD) with Triticum longissimum (2n = 2x = 14; S1S1) cytoplasm ((lo) cytoplasm) has normal fertility and plant vigor. However, the nucleus of durum wheat (Triticum turgidum (2n = 4x = 28, AABB)) is incompatible with the T. longissimum cytoplasm, producing non-viable progeny. This incompatibility is alleviated by scsae, a species cytoplasm-specific (scs) gene, on the long arm of chromosome 1D (1DL) of common wheat. The hemizygous (lo) durum scsaeline is male sterile and is maintained by crossing to normal durum wheat. After pollination, the seeds produced are either plump and viable (with scsae) or shriveled and inviable (without scsae). Thus, the chromosome with scsaeis inherited as a whole without recombination. The objectives of this study were to characterize the chromosome carrying scsaeand to determine the process through which this gene was introgressed into the (lo) durum background. Molecular marker analysis with 27 probes and primers mapped to homoeologous group 1 and genomic in situ hybridization using differentially labeled total genomic DNA of durum wheat and Aegilops tauschii suggest the presence of a 1AL segment in place of the distal region of 1DL. Owing to the absence of any detectable duplications or deletions, homoeologous recombination is the most likely mechanism by which this introgression occurred.Key words: homoeologous recombination, in situ hybridization, nuclear-cytoplasmic interaction, species cytoplasm specific gene