Abstract
The dune grass Leymus mollis grown in the seaside is a wild relative of wheat (Triticum aestivum) and is important genetic resource for improving wheat stress tolerance. We used Subtractive Subtraction Hybridization to identify drought and salinity responsive genes from L. mollis. Twenty one genes were identified and confirmed to be differentially regulated. Chloroplast inositol phosphatase (CIP), phosphoethanolamine methyltransferase (PEAMT), ETTIN-like auxin response factor (ARF) and unknown gene were among the highly regulated under drought stress; while allene oxide cyclase (AOC) and methyljasmonate induced lipoxygenase (LOX) genes were among the highly responsive genes under salt stress. These genes were also shown to be differentially regulated in response to jasmonic or abscisic acid. Southern analysis indicated that L. mollis genome has higher number of the isogenes for PEAMT, CIP and ARF compared to that found in the Chinese spring wheat. Identification of these genes represents important genetic resources for wheat improvement
