GENETIC SUPPRESSION OF HOMOEOLOGOUS CHROMOSOME PAIRING IN HEXAPLOID WHEAT

Abstract

Greater genetic complexity has been revealed for the control of bivalency in hexaploid wheat. A suppressor of homoeologous pairing has been detected on chromosome 3A. Thus, there are two suppressors in homoeologous group 3. The 3A suppressor may be homoeoallelic to either the suppressor on 3Dβ or the promoter, detected in this study, on 3Dα. Individually these two suppressors are less effective than the suppressor on the long arm of chromosome 5B; however, their combined effect is yet to be studied. This greater complexity suggests that hexaploid wheat may not be too dissimilar to other polyploids as regards genetic control of bivalency. The mode of action of these suppressors appears to be consistent with a heteromultimeric hypothesis.