Plant, Animal & Microbe Genomes X Conference

January 12-16, 2002
Town & Country Convention Center
San Diego, CA

Poster: Gene Isolation
            

THE NTS-1 GENOMIC REGION OF SOYBEAN CONTROLLING SUPERNODULATION REVEALS MICROSYNTENY WITH ARABIDOPSIS

¹ Botany Department, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia

² Biochemistry Department, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia

The soybean NTS-1 gene governs internal autoregulation of nodule formation, nitrate tolerance, and lateral root development. Inactivation of this locus by EMS mutagenesis resulted in the isolation of supernodulating mutants capable of nodulating in the presence of high nitrate concentrations. A fast neutron induced supernodulating deletion mutant (FN37) has also been isolated, and like the EMS lines exhibits shoot control of NTS-1. FN37 lacks several molecular markers and BAC ends close to NTS-1. The deletion of NTS-1 in this mutant will help to pinpoint the gene within our BAC contig. NTS-1 is being isolated using positional cloning. BAC contigs have been built to the north and south of the NTS-1 locus. Although several BAC libraries have been screened, we are still unable to close the gap between both contigs. Extensive sequencing of the genomic region surrounding NTS-1 has however been done. One clone from the south contig (138 kb) has been completely sequenced and annotated. These data (including end clone sequences from the north contig) revealed microsynteny with the Arabidopsis genome. Several soybean candidate genes within this region have been identified and are currently being analysed. We acknowledge the Australian Genome Research Facility (AGRF) for help with sequencing.