Isolation and characterization of apomixis-related BAC clones in Paspalum simplex.

PUPILLI, F.; CALDERINI, O.; QUARIN, CAMILO LUIS; MARTINEZ E.J.; CACERES, M. E.; ARCIONI, S.

Perugia

Conferencia; XXVI Meeting of the EUCARPIA Fodder Crops and Amenity Grasses Section. XVI Meeting of the EUCARPIA Medicago group. Breeding and seed production for conventional and organic agriculture.; 2006

Gametophytic apomixis is an alternative route of reproduction that in plants bypasses meiosis and fertilization giving rise to seeds that are genetically identical to the mother plant via the intermediate formation of an unreduced gametophyte. Among the multiple benefits of apomixis to agriculture, worth of mention is the possibility to reseed hybrid varieties without loss of hybrid vigour. The aim of our research group is to identify the genetic determinants of apomictic reproduction in the wild apomictic grass Paspalum simplex with the long time perspective to introduce it into crop species. Here we present data on the genetic characterization of the Apomixis Controlling Locus (ACL) of P. simplex together with recent findings on sequence information and candidate gene identification. The ACL of P. simplex is represented by a single dominant allele characterised by a strong repression of recombination and macro-synteny with the telomeric part of the long arm of chromosome 12 of rice. Apomixis-specific SCARs have been used to screen a BAC library of the apomictic P. simplex and to develop markers to be used in assisted selection for apomixis in the subgenus Anachyris of the Paspalum genus. Partial sequencing of positive BACs revealed high density of non-coding regions and transposable elements and rare genes. Some of these genes were considered possible candidate for apomixis and partially characterized through reverse genetics.