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Title: IDENTIFICATION OF PCR-BASED MOLECULAR MARKERS LINKED TO B, A CAROTENOID-RELATED GENE IN TOMATO

Author
item Zhang, Yiping
item Stommel, John

Submitted to: American Society of Horticulture Science Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/1/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Beta-carotene is the principal provitamin A caroteniod found in tomato fruits and makes a significant contribution to the fruits nutritional value. The dominant B gene conditions high levels of beta-carotene in ripe tomato fruits. PCR based molecular markers including random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) were used to identify marker linkage to the B locus. The study was conducted using a near isogenic line (NIL) of the cultivar Rutgers isogenic for the B locus and bulk segregant analysis of an interspecific F2 population segregating for the B locus which was derived from the cross of Lycopersicon cheesmanii accession LA 317 x L. esculentum cv. Floradade. Sixty-four AFLP primer pairs and 1018 arbitrary RAPD primers were screened for polymorphism between the pair of NILs and between the two bulks. A number of amplified RAPD and AFLP products were identified that were present in one line or bulk but not the other. Marker linkage with the B locus was confirmed by checking individual samples from the F2 and BC populations. Two RAPD markers were confirmed tightly linked with the B phenotype using the interspecific F2 population. Similarly, a single AFLP marker was identified with close linkage to the B phenotype using the NIL F2 population. The markers identified in this study can be useful in breeding programs with marker assisted selection and, if very tightly linked, as a starting point to isolate the gene.