Summary
The “Early-methionine-labelled” (Em) polypeptide is the most abundant cytosolic polypeptide found in mature wheat embryos. Using a near full-length cDNA clone as a hybridisation probe to detect genomic sequences by Southern blotting of electrophoretic separations of genomic DNA derived from Triticum aestivum L. var. Chinese Spring and a series of its aneuploid derivatives, we demonstrate that the Em polypeptide is the product of a small multigene family in which the copies are located on each of the long arms of the homoeologous group 1 chromosomes. Screening of a variety of genotypes additionally reveals a number of restriction fragment length polymorphisms associated with these loci. Screening of a library of genomic DNA cloned in the vector λEMBL 4 has resulted in the isolation of a genomic fragment containing two closely linked Em genes. These are separated by ca. 2.5 kb. Analysis of restriction enzyme digests of this clones fragment has identified it as originating from chromosome 1A.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Baker J, Steele C, Dure LS III (1988) Sequence and characterisation of 6 Lea proteins and their genes from cotton. Plant Mol Biol 11:277–291
Dure LS III, Crouch M, Harada J, Ho T-HD, Mundy J, Quatrano RS, Thomas T, Sung ZR (1989) Common amino acid sequence domains among the Lea proteins of higher plants. Plant Mol Biol 12:475–486
Feinberg AP, Vogelstein B (1983) A technique for labelling DNA restriction fragments to high specific activity. Anal Biochem 132:6–13
Grzelczak ZF, Sattolo MH, Hanley-Bowdoin LK, Kennedy TD, Lane BG (1982) Synthesis and turnover of proteins and mRNA in germinating wheat embryos. Can J Biochem 60:389–397
Hart GE, Gale MD (1988) Guidelines for the nomenclature of biochemical/molecular loci in wheat and related species. In: Miller TE, Koebner RMD (eds) In: Proc 7th Int Wheat Genet Symp IPSR, Cambridge, pp 1215–1218
Litts JC, Colwell GW, Chakerian RL, Quatrano RS (1987) The nucleotide sequence of a cDNA clone encoding the wheat Em protein. Nucleic Acids Res 15:3607–3618
Maniatis T, Fritsch EF, Sambrook J (1982) Molecular cloning: a laboratory manual. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor/NY
Marcotte WR, Jr, Bayley CC, Quatrano RS (1988) Regulation of a wheat promoter by abscisic acid in rice protoplasts. Nature 335:454–457
Marcotte WR Jr, Russell SH, Quatrano RS (1989) Abscisic acid-responsive sequences from the Em gene of wheat. Plant Cell 1:969–976
McCubbin WD, Kay CM, Lane BG (1985) Hydrodynamic and optical properties of the wheat germ Em protein. Can J Biochem Cell Biol 63:803–811
McFadden ES, Sears ER (1946) The origin of Triticum spelta and its free-thrashing hexaploid relatives. J Hered 37:81–89
Morris PC, Kumar A, Bowles DJ, Cuming AC (1990) Osmotic stress and abscisic acid induce expression of the wheat Em genes. Eur J Biochem (in press)
Reed KC, Mann DA (1985) Rapid transfer of DNA from agarose gels to nylon membranes. Nucleic Acids Res 130:7207–7221
Rogers SO, Quatrano RS (1983) Morphological staging of wheat caryopsis development. Am J Bot 70:308–311
Sears ER (1966) Nullisomic-tetrasomic combination in hexaploid wheat. In: Riley R, Lewis KR (eds) Chromosome manipulations and plant genetics. Oliver and Boyd, Edinburgh, pp 29–45
Sharp PJ, Kreis M, Shewry PR, Gale MD (1988) Location of β-amylase sequences in wheat and its relatives. Theor Appl Genet 75:289–290
Williamson JD, Quatrano RS, Cuming AC (1985) Em polypeptide and its messenger RNA levels are modulated by ABA during embryogenesis in wheat. Eur J Biochem 152:501–507
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Communicated by J. W. Snape
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Futers, T.S., Vaugha, T.J., Sharp, P.J. et al. Molecular cloning and chromosomal location of genes encoding the “Early-methionine-labelled” (Em) polypeptide of Triticum aestivum L. var. Chinese Spring. Theoret. Appl. Genetics 80, 43–48 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00224014
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00224014