One hundred and eight microsatellite primer pairs, originally identified from cattle, were evaluated for their applicability in buffalo. Eighty-one primer pairs (75%) amplified discrete products, and of these, 61 pairs (56%) gave polymorphic band patterns on a panel of 25 buffaloes. The mean number of alleles per polymorphic marker was 4.50 +/- 0.20, and the mean heterozygosity per polymorphic marker was 0.66 +/- 0.02. Successful genotyping of buffaloes using cattle specific primers suggests that the latter can be a valuable resource for genome analysis in bubaline species.

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Four cell lines of tomato, Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. cv VFNT-Cherry, were selected for their ability to grow in the presence of up to 6 millimolar CdCI2. The intracellular Cd concentration in these cells was at least 2.3 times higher than in the medium. Growth in media containing higher concentrations of Cd was accompanied by increased production of Cd-binding phytochelatins and a trend toward accumulation of higher molecular weight phytochelatins. At least 90% of the Cd in the most tolerant cells was associated with Cd-phytochelatin complexes. Cell lines maintained an increased tolerance of Cd in the absence of continuous selection pressure.Exposure of plants and plant cells to Cd results in the accumulation ofa family ofpeptides with the general structure (^y-Glu-Cys)n-Gly, where n = 2 to 10 (20, 25). These peptides, variously named PCs3, y-glutamyl metal-binding peptides, cadystins, and poly(-y-glutamylcysteinyl)glycines, form intracellular complexes with Cd. In addition to being widespread, perhaps universal, in the plant kingdom (5), PCs have also been found in some fungal species (13,15). A number of observations indicate that synthesis of PCs in response to Cd exposure is essential for expression of tolerance to this metal.

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