Tissue culture-derived variation in crop improvement

Tissue culture generates a wide range of genetic variation in plant species which can be incorporated in plant breeding programmes. By in vitro selection, mutants with useful agronomic traits, e.g. salt or drought tolerance or disease resistance, can be isolated in a short duration. The successful use of somaclonal variation is very much dependent on its genetic stability in the subsequent generations for which molecular markers such as RAPDs, AFLPs, SSRs and others can be helpful. The potential of somaclonal variation has yet to be fully exploited by breeders, even though a few cultivars have been developed in crops such as Brassica juncea, rice and others. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Construction and characterization of a BAC library for sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.)

A bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library was constructed using the sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) restorer line RHA325, which carries the restorer gene Rf1 and the Pl2-gene conferring resistance to downy mildew. High molecular weight DNA was prepared from nuclei using leaf material from two-week old seedlings. The library was constructed using the HindIII site of pBeloBAC11. The current BAC library comprises 104,736 clones. The insert size of the clones varied between 20 and 270 kb, with an average insert size of 60 kb. The whole 1.9× sunflower BAC library was spotted in duplicate on four high-density filters, each carrying 55,296 clones. The content of organellar DNA, which was estimated by colony hybridisation against the mitochondrial probe coxI and the chloroplast probe rbcL, proved to be less than 0.03 and 0.1%, respectively. BAC pools, allowing PCR-based screening, were made and used to identify positive BAC clones for the markers OP-K13_454, closely linked to the restorer gene Rf1. The PCR-based screening was verified by the results obtained for this marker by colony hybridisation.     

一种快速低廉的PCR探针标记方法

【研究目的】探针标记技术是分子生物学和基因工程研究中常用实验技术,需要发展高效、快速、低成本、安全、简捷的DNA探针标记方法;【方法】利用普通的Taq酶进行PCR探针标记,电泳和Southern杂交检测探针标记结果;【结果】电泳检测发现标记产物在电泳时相对非标记的对照表现明显滞后,表明探针标记成功;电泳条带清晰明亮,表明探针标记效率高;Southern杂交条带清晰,说明该方法标记的探针可用于Southern等分子杂交实验;【结论】利用普通的Taq酶进行PCR探针标记,是一种低成本、高效、快速的DNA探针标记方法。     

用于PCR分析的小麦种子DNA微量快速提取

探索了不用液氮从小麦单粒、半粒有胚和半粒无胚中提取DNA的方法。结果表明，无论是单粒、半粒有胚和半粒无胚都能得到比较理想的DNA，DNA样品经SCAR-PCR特异标记检测，都能扩增出两条完全相同的特异务带。用无胚的半粒进行分子标记检测特别适合于对大批量早代材料目的基因的筛选。     

利用DNA分子标志鉴别台湾茶树品种及评估种原之遗传歧异性

为评估台湾茶树种原之遗传歧异性。本研究由100条ISSR引子申筛选出12条可产生多型性条带明显的引子．这些引子共可产生67个的多型性条带。依据每一种原之分子标志数据进行UPGMA法分群分析结果。可将台湾133个茶树种原区分成六大群，包括油茶群、赤芽山茶群、野生茶树群、大叶变种与小叶变种混合群、大叶、小叶及大叶、小叶杂交种混合群及小叶变种群。而主成分向量分析的结果与利用群聚分析得到的亲缘关系树形固结果相符合。台湾茶树种原高比例的遗传歧异度是由台湾的野生茶树所贡献．部分重要栽培种间的相似性仍极高。为了探讨制茶过程封分子级品种鉴定之影响及DNA分子标志应用于咸茶品种鉴定之可行性，本研究分析不同发酵程度的茶类。在制茶过程申封DNA质量之影响。试验结果显示高温杀菁过程严重造成咸茶DNA的降解。利用各种类别咸茶与新鲜茶叶（封照）所抽取之DNA样品进行PCR扩增反应．结果发现分子量小于1,000bp的ISSR DNA条带表现较稳定。     

Stability of RAPD markers for determining cultivar specific DNA profiles in rye (Secale cereale L.)

Summary Cultivar specific DNA profiles in rye were revealed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) sequences. Ten base primers were used for the amplification of genomic DNA of rye cultivars by PCR. RAPD analysis was found to be reproducible among samples between PCR runs. When amplification profiles of different rye cultivars were compared using various primers, the overall profiles were cultivar specific. However, not all primers revealed polymorphisms. These primers appear to amplify conserved sequences in all rye cultivars. Intracultivar studies were conducted on two of the cultivars. In the cultivar Imperial, no polymorphisms were observed among ten plants analyzed with five primers. In the cultivar Balboa, polymorphisms were observed among fifty plants with four of the ten primers analyzed. Despite the small amount of intracultivar variability, RAPD analysis has the potential to be a rapid and reliable method of cultivar identification in this outcrossing species.     

杂交稻部分不育系与恢复系的SSR分类

选用分布于水稻(Oryza sativa L.)12条染色体上的36对SSR(simple sequence repeats)引物，分析了5个光温敏核不育系、7个细胞质雄性不育系及54份来自不同生态类型恢复系或品种的遗传差异。在供试材料中共检测出300条多态性片段，平均每对SSR引物检测到8.33条。分析结果表明，(1) SSR标记明确地把供试的66份水稻材料中的65份区分开来，和已知系谱的亲缘关系多数吻合，与表型性状聚类结果也有一定的相似性。(2) 以GD=0.73为标准，可准确地将籼稻、粳稻、野生稻三大类区分开；以GD=0.63为标准，又可区分出籼稻大类中带有粳稻或野生稻血缘的品种。表明SSR标记对籼稻、粳稻、野生稻品种的分类灵敏度高、结果可靠；并筛选出可用于鉴别水稻籼粳类型的10对特异性引物。(3) 以GD=0.56为标准，将供试材料划分在8个生态类型中，为生产上杂优组合亲本的选配提供了一些有益的参考。同时，生产上常用的一些杂交稻亲本划分在不同的生态类型中，表明强优势组合亲本间的遗传差异一般较大。     

用改进的高盐低pH法分离和纯化棉花叶绿体及叶绿体DNA

报道了用改进的高盐低ｐＨ法分离和纯化棉花叶绿体及叶绿体ＤＮＡ的实验过程，即先在高盐（离子强度）介质下，通过ｐＨ值变换，多次洗涤的方法去除叶绿体表面的静电附着杂质，得到纯净的叶绿体；然后氯仿抽提纯化ＤＮＡ；最后采用界面针挑法得到高纯度的ｃｐＤＮＡ。实验过程中针对棉花的特点，采用ＰＶＰ排除棉酚和丹宁的干扰，用ＤＩＥＣＡ抑制酚氧化酶活性，并对实验细节作了较大改进。得到的ＤＮＡ可满足酶切、ＰＣＲ等分子生物学分析。     

Cytoplasmic relatedness of apple landraces and cultivars: a molecular analysis

Summary Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) diversity has been determined in apple landraces and cultivars, based upon restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) for several mitochondrial genes. Our analysis includes three cultivars, Golden Delicious, McIntosh and Delicious, which represent the various patterns of mtDNA polymorphisms previously described (Ishikawa et al., 1992). A total of five RFLPs were detected, allowing classification of the apple genotypes into four cytoplasmic groups: GroupI, Golden Delicious-type; GroupII, McIntosh-type; GroupIII, Delicious-type; and Group IV, Dolgo Crab-type. European landraces and cultivars were assigned to Groups I, II, and III, while chinese crab apples were placed in either Group III or IV.     

The biotechnology of crop legumes

Summary The absence of variety-independent gene transfer methods for major agronomic species has, until now, limited the usefulness of recombinant DNA techniques to crop improvement programs. Until recently, only Solanaceous crops could be used to study fundamental and applied problems in plant sciences. During the past five years rapid advances in cell biology, in combination with the development of novel gene transfer methodology allowed utilization of the tools of plant molecular biology in conventional breeding programs. Cereal and leguminous species were considered to be recalcitrant to genetic manipulation. As a result of the development of direct DNA transfer methodology into organized tissue, we are now in a position to introduce any foreign gene into almost all of the major cereals and legumes. This can be achieved efficiently, often in a variety-independent fashion. The object of this review is to provide a comprehensive account of the state of the art in gene transfer for the cultivated leguminous crops. Important oilseed and feed species primarily in industrialized countries, as well as minor but equally important species for sustaining growth populations in developing countries will be examined. Advantages of the various gene transfer methods that were shown to be useful for specific crops, as well as limitations and problems associated with each crop and gene transfer method will be discussed. Data from field trials of transgenic legumes, where available, will be presented.