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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Tifton, Georgia » Crop Protection and Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #108481
Title: IDENTIFICATION OF A GENE AT THE SYNTENIC SH2-AL REGION IN MAIZE

Author
item Guo, Baozhu
item BUTRON, ANNA - SPANISH MINISTRY OF ED.
item LI, R - UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS
item ZHANG, ZHONGJUN - UGA, ENTOMOLOGY
item Widstrom, Neil
item McMullen, Michael
item Lynch, Robert

Submitted to: Maize Genetics Cooperation Newsletter
Publication Type: Research Notes
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/15/2000
Publication Date: 10/31/2000
Citation: Guo, B., Butron, A.M., Li, R.G., Zhang, Z.J., Widstrom, N.W., McMullen, M.D., Lynch, R.E. 2000. Identification of a gene at the syntenic SH-2AL region in maize. Maize Genetics Newsletter. 74:64-66.

Interpretive Summary: Technical summary not required.

Technical Abstract: Comparative genomic analysis at the level of a genetic-map has demonstrated the extensive conservation of the synteny of genes in different species. We report our investigation of the microcolinearity at sh2-a1 region and identification of a gene in maize in comparison with sorghum and rice. We synthesized a pair of primers based on the homologous sequence region of sh2 and a1 loci in sorghum and rice. Using this pair of primers, we amplified and cloned a PCR product with molecular weight of 1.4 kb from maize leaves. The DNA sequence of the cloned PCR product had more than 90% homology with the 5'-end sequence of the putative transcriptional regulator gene in sorghum and 80% to the X-gene in rice. We detected a gene transcript (1 kb) in leaves, cobs, and silks using RT-PCR with this primer. Northern analysis also revealed the X-gene transcript of about 2.3 kb in leaves, cobs, and silks. This X gene identified in maize is a single copy gene and mapping of the maize genome revealed that this X gene is closely linked with sh2 and a1. Therefore, the X gene homologous to rice and sorghum exists in the maize genome. The position of the X gene in maize is closely linked with sh2 and a1 on chromosome 3. The functional feature of this X-like gene identified in sh2-a1 region in maize should be investigated in the future.