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1. Symposium on the forefront of chromosome research in cereals (Organizer: Y. Mukai)

Y. Mukai
(Osaka Kyoiku Univ; ymukai@cc.osaka-kyoiku.ac.jp)
Recent progress in wheat chromosome research

The development of FISH techniques over the past decade has contributed to our understanding of genome organization and chromosome structure. FISH methods have been applied to the field of wheat molecular cytogenetics and precise visualization of agronomically important genes is a routine now by FISH using lambda and BAC clones. Recent new technologies, in situ PCR and DNA fiber FISH, improved the detection sensitivity and resolution on chromosomes or DNA molecules. We have characterized many large-insert clones of wheat containing the centromeric regions and the structure of centromere is being unraveled. The important problems and prospects for wheat chromosome studies have been discussed here.

S. Taketa (Fac Agr, Kagawa Univ; staketa@ag.kagawa-u.ac.jp)
Recent advances in chromosome research of the genus Hordeum

The genus Hordeum is classified into 31 species and includes ploidy series ranging from diploid to hexaploid. Recent molecular cytogenetic analyses on cultivated and wild barleys were summarized with special reference to the physical mapping of various repetitive DNA sequences. These analyses supported the distinction of the four basic genomes (H, I, X and Y) in the genus. Genomic in situ hybridization unequivocally revealed the presence of H. marinum genome in three polyploid species. On the basis of chromosomal distribution of repetitive DNA sequences, the phylogenetic relationships of the Hordeum species are discussed.

T. Morikawa* and M. Hayasaki (Graduate School Agr Bio Sci, Osaka Pref Univ; *morikawa@plant.osakafu-u.ac.jp)
Molecular cytogenetics of oats

Wild and cultivated hexaploid oats share the same genomes (AACCDD) and display a considerable level of interspecific variation in both plant and chromosome morphology. The GISH and FISH were utilized to detect the inter- and intraspecific genomic compositions in oats using total genomic DNA of Avena eriantha (a C-genome diploid) and 18S-5.8S-26S rDNA as probes. Intergenomic translocations between A/D and C-genome chromosomes were frequently observed in hexaploid and tetraploid by GISH. The FISH data also indicated the intraspecific variation of rDNA major sites of A.canariensis and A. agadiriana chromosomes. These observations indicate that the genome of this genus cotinues to evolve via chromosomal rearrangement.

M. Tomita (Dept Agrobiol, Fac Agr, Tottori Univ; tomita@muses.tottori-u.ac.jp)
Recent advances in chromosome research of rye and Thinopyrum

A new class of multigene family designated 2.8 kb family have been identified in rye, Secale cereale, by using a highly repetitive 89 bp probe initially obtained by a genomic subtraction method. Their 2,817 bp consensus sequence determined from E genomic DNA clones did not share any identity with known sequences. A 726 bp cDNA derived from the 2.8 kb family was isolated and the gene constitution including 3 exons and 2 introns was characterized. As much as 10,000 copies of the 2.8 kb multigene family were distributed on all rye chromosomes. On the other hand, a retrotransposon-like clone pTi28 found in Thinopyrum intermedium enabled to detect Thinopyrum chromosomes in the wheat background by their enrichment in the telomeric regions.

M. Yamamoto (Kansai Women's Coll; ymaki@user.center.osaka-u.ac.jp)
FISH from chromosomes to DNA

Fluorescence in situ hybridization on extended DNA fibers from interphase nuclei has been developed as high- resolution FISH. Molecular combing has enabled direct mapping to purified BAC or lambda DNA clones. We have achieved the direct visualization of gene organization in agronomically important genes of wheat and rye. Our results have indicated a spatial resolution of 1 kb between adjacent, targets and detection sensitivity of a target of as small as 800 bp. The fiber FISH technique is very useful for determining the size of target DNA sequences, the order of genes or clones and their distances in a large chromosome region.

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