Development of Diploid Wheat (Triticum Monococcum) Deletion Lines for Reverse Genetics.

North Dakota State University Fargo, Fargo ND

Investigators

Abstract

Wheat is the single most important source of plant protein in the human diet and together with other cereal grains (rice, corn, sorghum, barley, millet, and oats) accounts for most of the food directly consumed by humans. The challenge for the post-sequencing era is to identify the biological functions of sequenced genes. Reverse genetics - the discovery of gene function by searching for lesions in specific genes - plays an essential role in that process. The large, complex genomes of important crop species like wheat necessitate the development of a large number of mutants, and genetic screening methods developed to date do not support the high throughput necessary for making this search efficient. We intend to optimize and demonstrate a model screening system applicable to any large genome species. Research resources We will produce a collection of lines carrying small deletions in the genome in the cultivated diploid wheat, Triticum monococcum. Screening of this mutant collection for lesions in genes of interest can be accomplished efficiently through a pooling scheme combined with a method termed DEALING (DEtecting Adduct Lesions IN Genomes). We will demonstrate the utility of this approach by identifying mutations that affect reproductive development in wheat. We will also develop a database, WIRE (the Wheat Information Resource), to disseminate the information generated by this and future DEALING experiments.