Plant Genome I Conference
Town & Country Conference Center, San Diego, CA, November, 1992.
PG-I: 42pg1
PARALLEL STUDIES OF GENE AND GENOME ORGANIZATION IN MAIZE AND
SORGHUM.
Jeff Bennetzen 1, Patricia Springer l, Admasu Melake- Berhan 1,
Kathrin Schrick 1, Chang-Nong Liu 1, Scot Hulbert 1 and Keith
Edwards 2, 1 Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue
University, West Lafayette, IN 47907 and 2 Plant Biotechnology
Section, I.C.I. Seeds, Jealotts Hill Research Station, Bracknell,
Berkshire RG12 6EY, UK.
Maize and sorghum are closely related members of the tribe
Andropogonae, and each has 10 pairs of chromosomes per diploid
nucleus. Sorghum, however, has an approximately four fold
smaller genome. We have found that single copy sequences in
these two species generally cross-hybridize very efficiently, and
can be used to generate parallel restriction fragment length
polymorphism (RFLP) maps. The results of such studies indicate
that most low copy number sequences from maize are represented at
similar copy numbers in sorghum, and that the two genomes are
largely colinear. Several genomic rearrangements do
differentiate these species, however. We have begun detailed
molecular and genetic analyses of the DNA near the Adh1 locus of
maize, and its homeologue in sorghum. We have investigated the
stability and organization of different classes of DNA in 280 kb
of contiguous sequences surrounding maize Adh1, which we have
cloned as yeast artificial chromosomes (YACs). We have analyzed
the homeologous region in sorghum on a series of overlapping
cosmid clones. The results of these studies, indicating
unexpected patterns and differences in the organization of these
two genomes, will be presented.
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