Allelic variations at Dhn4 and Dhn7 are associated with frost tolerance in barley

Abstract

Abstract:The sequences of the closely linked barley dehydrin genes dhn4 and dhn7 are both known to vary allelically. Here we associated allelic constitution at dhn4/7 with frost sensitivity across a panel of 30 diverse barley varieties. The combined presence of a 6 bp insertion in exon1 of dhn4 and a 30 bp deletion in exon1 of dhn7 was restricted to six-rowed winter and intermediate varieties characterised by relatively higher frost tolerance (12 genotypes; LT 50 from -14.2°C to -15.6°C). The alternative combination was present with one exception (sixrowed winter variety Alissa) only in spring and two-rowed winter varieties (17 genotypes; LT 50 from -10.0°C to -14.3°C). The genetic linkage between dhn4 and dhn7 identified e.g. in Dictoo and Morex varieties was verified by segregation analysis of F 2 plants from a cross between two genotypes carrying different allelic combination of dhn4 and dhn7 genes (two-rowed spring variety Akcent × six-rowed winter variety Okal). The potential of the former allelic combination as a marker for enhanced frost tolerance was tested in a sample of F 5 derivatives of a cross between the two-rowed winter type variety Monaco (Akcent allele combination) and the six-rowed winter type variety Okal. Plants with the Okal allele combination showed significantly higher frost tolerance than those with the alternative growth habit. The effect of ear type on frost tolerance was insignificant.

Wheat and barley dehydrins under cold, drought, and salinity – what can LEA-II proteins tell us about plant stress response?

“…The major cold-induced dehydrin proteins detected in wheat and barley samples on the immunoblots belong to K n type such as wheat proteins from WCS120 family ( Sarhan et al, 1997 ) and barley DHN5 ( Close et al, 1995 ; Bravo et al, 1999 , 2003 ) although at transcript level, a cold-inducible expression has also been reported for acidic SK 3 dehydrins in both wheat and barley ( Danyluk et al, 1994 ; Choi et al, 1999 ; Tommasini et al, 2008 ). At dehydrin sequence level, there has been found a relationship between allelic variation in Dhn4 and Dhn7 gene sequence (a 6 bp insertion in exon 1 of Dhn4 and a 30 bp deletion in exon 1 of Dhn7 ) and acquired frost tolerance in a set of 30 barley cultivars including both spring and winter growth habits of a wide range of lethal temperature of 50% of the sample (LT50) values ( Holková et al, 2010 ). At transcript and protein levels, there has been repeatedly reported a correlation between dehydrin accumulation and plant acquired frost tolerance in short-term (7 to 21 days) cold acclimation studies ( Houde et al, 1992 ; Vítámvás et al, 2007 ; Kosová et al, 2008b ; Holková et al, 2009 ).…”

Barley: a translational model for adaptation to climate change

“…Holková et al . () assessed allelic variation at Dhn4 and Dhn7 in eight spring and 22 winter cultivars from Europe. Indels were associated with frost tolerance, which was confirmed through test crossing.…”

Sixty years of the Crop Research Institute and its impact on plant breeding

“…Recently, the Laboratory of Genomics and Proteomics has been established for plant analyses and searches for genetic and protein markers associated with resistance to abiotic stresses, and, hence to investigate the possibilities of applications of MAS (marker assisted selection). Research is focused on the study and utilization of dehydrins -proteins induced by stress -as markers of cereal and rapeseed tolerance to low temperatures and drought Holková et al 2010;Vítámvás et al 2010). High-throughput techniques such as microarrays (e.g., Affymetrix Gene Chip) and two-dimensional differential gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE), coupled with mass spectrometry (e.g., MALDI-TOF/TOF), have enabled us to study stress-induced changes in the plant transcriptome and proteome and to identify stress-responsive genes and proteins, respectively.…”