Analysis of Deletion Breakpoints in a Wheat Null Wx-B1 Allele Using Molecular Markers

Abstract

The entire coding region of the Wx-B1 gene on chromosome 4A appears to be deleted in the hexaploid wheat cultivar Kanto 107, the deletion breakpoints have not yet been identified. In the present study, PCR-based markers were designed. However, for analyzing the deletion breakpoints using a comparative genomics analysis method, which was based on the synteny between wheat and the related grass species barley, einkorn wheat and rice. Using these markers, we revealed that one of the deletion breakpoints was located approximately 3.3 to 6 kb downstream of the Wx-B1 gene. Moreover, we observed that a second gene, with an unknown function that was located downstream of the Wx-B1 gene, was also missing in the null Wx-B1 cultivars.