Plant & Animal Genome VII Conference

W105

GENOMIC SEQUENCING OF 340 KBP OF THE RICE ADH1 LOCUS. ANALYSIS OF MICROSYNTENY BETWEEN RICE AND MAIZE.

DuPont Agricultural Biotechnology, Delaware Technology Park, Suite 200, 1 Innovation Way, PO Box 6104, Newark, DE 19714 USA

We report the complete DNA sequence of 340 kbp of rice genome comprising the Adh1 locus and spanning about 2.5 cM in genetic distance. The main features of the region will be described and include nature and abundance of repetitive DNA and gene content and repertoire. We have identified and characterized retrotransposons belonging to both the Ty1-copia and Ty3-gypsy group. DNA transposable elements and MITEs (Miniature Inverted-repeat Transposable Elements) were also detected as characteristics of the intergenic regions. The analysis of the sequence revealed the presence in the region of 32 putative genes, accounting for an average gene density of 1 gene every 10 kbp circa. Rice and maize ESTs were identified for several of the genes and were used for a maize-rice synteny study. A complex pattern of both conservation and lack of conservation of microcolinearity were found. The evolutionary aspects of these findings will be discussed.