| Abstract Detail
Genomics / Proteomics Kinney, Michael S. [1], Telgmann-Rauber, Alexa [2], Jung, Christian [3], Leebens-Mack, James H. [4], Pires, J. Chris [5]. Evolution of sex chromosomes and genome size in Asparagus. The genus Asparagus contains 100-300 species including the economically important crop Asparagus officinalis. Approximately 50 species of Asparagus, including A. officinalis, are dioecious, producing male and female flowers on separate individual plants, while the remainder are hermaphrodite flowered. In A. officinalis, sex determination is controlled by the M-locus, which is located on a pair of homomorphic sex chromosomes. Phylogenetic studies of species-level relationships within the genus Asparagus indicate a fascinating evolutionary history, suggesting that dioecy has evolved once from hermaphroditism in Asparagus in association with an abrupt increase in genome size and a shift in biogeographic distribution. The dioecious species have a Eurasian distribution and nearly double the genome size of hermaphrodite species with a south African center of diversity. The present study examines the evolution of sex chromosomes in A. officinalis using markers linked to the M locus as probes in fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) analyses. FISH-based comparisons of chromosome size, heterochromatic DNA content, and synteny of genomic markers (NORs, BACs, repetitive DNA, and single gene probes) are also being employed to characterize the nature of the genome size difference between A. officinalis and A. plumosus, a South African hermaphroditic species. These cytogenetic studies will be placed in a phylogenetic context using existing and preliminary nuclear gene data to examine the evolution of dioecy in Asparagus and relatives. Log in to add this item to your schedule
1 - University of Missouri-Columbia, Biological Sciences, 311 Life Sciences Center, 1201 Rollins St, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA 2 - University of Georgia, Department of Plant Biology, 4501 Plant Science Building, Athens, GA, 30602, USA 3 - Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Institut für Pflanzenbau und Pflanzenzüchtung, Olshausenstr. 40, Kiel, D-24098, Germany 4 - University of Georgia, Department of Plant Biology, 4504 Miller Plant Sciences, Athens, GA, 30602, USA 5 - University of Missouri, Biological Sciences, 1201 Rollins Road, 311 Life Sciences Center, Columbia, Missouri, 65211, USA
Keywords: dioecy sex chromosomes FISH.
Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Topics Session: CP59 Location: Boulevard A/Hilton Date: Wednesday, July 11th, 2007 Time: 4:30 PM Number: CP59006 Abstract ID:2085 |