A major gene for grain cadmium accumulation in oat

A population of 150 F2 plants was derived from a cross between two spring oat individuals, one from cv. Aslak (Boreal Plant Breeding LTd., Finland) and the other from cv. Salo (Svalöf-Weibull AB, Sweden). Cadmium was tested by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) method

Template switching can create complex LTR retrotransposon insertions in Triticeae genomes

v2007okBEL/KG

Assessment of genetic diversity in Nordic timothy (Phleum pratense L.)

Timothy (Phleum pratense L.), a cool-season hexaploid perennial, is the most important forage grass species in Nordic countries. Earlier analyses of genetic diversity in a collection of 96 genebank accessions of timothy with SSR markers demonstrated high levels of diversity but could not resolve population structure. Therefore, we examined a subset of 51 accessions with REMAP markers, which are based on retrotransposons, and compared the diversity results with those obtained with SSR markers.Peer reviewe

Eliminating vicine and convicine, the main anti-nutritional factors restricting faba bean usage

Background Faba bean (Vicia faba L.) seeds are an excellent source of plant-based protein. In spite of the vast nutritional and environmental benefits provided by faba bean cultivation, its use as a food crop has been restricted, primarily due to the presence of the pyrimidine glycosides vicine and convicine (v-c). Ingestion of v-c can cause favism in individuals with a genetically inherited deficiency in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD). In monogastric animals, v-c can cause decreased feeding efficiency. The elimination of these glucosides is a goal of most faba bean breeding programs worldwide. Scope and approach Our review focuses on the current genetic, molecular and biochemical knowledge surrounding the accumulation of v-c in faba beans. The gap between the current knowledge and what remains unknown is discussed. This review also explores historical and obscure information on v-c in faba bean. Key findings and conclusions A low-v-c faba bean line was identified in the 1980s and this trait has been introduced into several modern cultivars. It has been shown that low-v-c faba beans are safe for G6PD-deficient individuals. A robust molecular marker is now available for marker-assisted breeding to reduce levels of v-c. The biosynthetic pathway of v-c is not yet understood and is currently under investigation. An international coordinated effort, led by the authors of this paper, is making progress towards full elucidation of the pathway. Further efforts in this direction could lead to lower levels of these compounds than the current low v-c genotypes offer, perhaps even complete elimination

Functional determinants by contour integration methods

We present a simple and accessible method which uses contour integration methods to derive formulae for functional determinants. To make the presentation as clear as possible, the general idea is first illustrated on the simplest case: a second order differential operator with Dirichlet boundary conditions. The method is applicable to more general situations, and we discuss the way in which the formalism has to be developed to cover these cases. In particular, we also show that simple and elegant formulae exist for the physically important case of determinants where zero modes exist, but have been excluded.Comment: 29 page

Genome Power for Rye

Posteri201

Suomalaisen ruishapanjuuren mikrobiston monimuotoisuus

201

Gene Deletion in Barley Mediated by LTR-retrotransposon BARE

A poly-row branched spike (prbs) barley mutant was obtained from soaking a two-rowed barley inflorescence in a solution of maize genomic DNA. Positional cloning and sequencing demonstrated that the prbs mutant resulted from a 28 kb deletion including the inflorescence architecture gene HvRA2. Sequence annotation revealed that the HvRA2 gene is flanked by two LTR (long terminal repeat) retrotransposons (BARE) sharing 89% sequence identity. A recombination between the integrase (IN) gene regions of the two BARE copies resulted in the formation of an intact BARE and loss of HvRA2. No maize DNA was detected in the recombination region although the flanking sequences of HvRA2 gene showed over 73% of sequence identity with repetitive sequences on 10 maize chromosomes. It is still unknown whether the interaction of retrotransposons between barley and maize has resulted in the recombination observed in the present study.Peer reviewe