Ribosomal DNA repeat unit polymorphism and heritability in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) accessions and related wild species

Repeat unit length and restriction site variation in ribosomal RNA geneclusters (rDNA) was surveyed in 77 Arachis accessions, includingsamples from 39 accessions of cultivated Arachis hypogaea(2n=4x=40), 36 accessions representing 15 related tetraploid and diploidwild species, and two synthetic amphidiploids. Total genomic DNA wasdigested with five restriction enzymes, and probed with three heterologousribosomal clones of wheat and broad bean. Four rDNA repeat unit lengthclasses were recognized in the Arachis species. Restriction site analysisshowed that some SacI, BamHI and TaqI cleavage sites in rDNA unit werehighly conserved. With few exceptions, the variable BamHI and EcoRV siteswere able to differentiate the taxonomic sections and species, respectively.Arachis hypogaea and A. duranensis accessions produced fourrDNA length classes. Among these, three were identical with those of otherArachis species. A SacI restriction site (s) from probe (Ver6-5) cangenerally distinguish the two subspecies A. hypogaea ssp. hypogaea and A. hypogaea ssp. fastigiata. Forty nine per centof bands were polymorphic across the A. hypogaea accessionsanalysed. This study does not support A. batizocoi to be a progenitorof A. hypogaea. For the gene array, the contribution from eachparental genome can be detected in the two synthetic amphidiploids.