Identification and genetic analysis of multiple P chromosomes of Agropyron cristatum in the background of common wheat

Agropyron cristatum, a wild relative of common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), provides many desirable genetic resources for wheat improvement, such as tolerance to cold, drought, and disease. To transfer and utilize these desirable genes, in this study, two wheat-A. cristatum derivatives II-13 and II-23 were identified and analyzed. We found that the number of root tip cell chromosomes was 44 in both II-13 and II-23, but there were four and six P genome chromosomes in II-13 and II-23, respectively, based on genomic in situ hybridization (GISH). The chromosome configurations of II-13 and II-23 were both 2n=22II by the meiotic analysis of pollen mother cells (PMCs) at metaphase I, indicating that there were two and three pairs of P chromosomes in II-13 and II-23, respectively. Notably, wheat chromosome 7D was absent in derivative line II-13 while II-23 lacked chromosomes 4B and 7A based on SSR analysis combining fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis with pAs1 and pSc119.2 as probes. Chromosomes 2P and 7P were detected in both II-13 and II-23. Another pair of P genome chromosomes in II-23 was determined to be 4P based on expressed-sequences tags-sequence tagged sites (EST-STS) markers specific to A. cristatum and FISH with probes pAcTRT1 and pAcpCR2. Overall, these results suggest that II-13 was a 7P (7D) substitution line with one pair of additional 2P chromosomes and II-23 was a multiple 4P (4B), 7P (7A) substitution line with one pair of additional 2P chromosomes. Moreover, we obtained six alien disomic addition lines and five alien disomic substitution lines by backcrossing. These new materials will allow desirable genes from A. cristatum to be used in common wheat.