Identification of genes involved in the floral transition at the shoot apical meristem of Lolium perenne L. by use of suppression subtractive hybridisation

Abstract

Byrne, S. L., Guiney, E., Donnison, I. S., Mur, L. A. J., Milbourne, D., Barth, S. (2009). Identification of genes involved in the floral transition at the shoot apical meristem of Lolium perenne L. by use of suppression subtractive hybridisation. Plant Growth Regulation, 59, (3), 215-225. Electronic supplementary material. The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10725-009-9407-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. IMPF: 01.53 RONO: 03134 Sponsorship: BBSRC, TEAGASC, Ireland RONO: BBS/E/W/00003134BGenerally, heading in Lolium perenne L. (perennial ryegrass) is associated with a reduction in the feed quality of the forage and therefore extending the period of vegetative growth during the growing season will contribute to an improvement in quality. The genetic control of floral transition has been well studied in model plant species but less research has been done in economically important crop species such as perennial ryegrass. A differential gene expression study was performed between two full sibling lines of L. perenne with contrasting flowering time. Suppression subtractive hybridization was used to identify 155 transcripts differentially expressed between the two sibling lines in the shoot apical meristem after primary and during secondary induction. Transcripts with a putative role in the floral transition were further characterized, through floral induction stages, by real time RT?PCR. This revealed five genes with greater than tenfold difference in expression between the lines during floral induction. Furthermore, a putative methyl binding domain protein and bHLH transcription factor were identified, which show clear differential expression patterns through floral induction and may act as potential enhancers of flowering in L. perennePeer reviewe

Interactions Between Environment and Genetic Diversity in Perennial Grass Phenology: A Review of Processes at Plant Scale and Modeling

“…For instance, Aamlid et al (2000) observed variations in the inflorescence (peduncle not included) among genotypes of Lolium perenne , which may be related to their geographical origin, as inflorescence length tended to increase with the latitude of origin. Byrne et al (2009) found QTL (quantitative trait loci) involved in both inflorescence traits and heading date. Within Lolium perenne genotypes, Byrne et al (2009) found a negative correlation between the heading date and inflorescence length, similar to what was observed in wheat ( Donmez et al, 2001 ), whereas McGrath et al (2010) reported a positive correlation.…”

“… Byrne et al (2009) found QTL (quantitative trait loci) involved in both inflorescence traits and heading date. Within Lolium perenne genotypes, Byrne et al (2009) found a negative correlation between the heading date and inflorescence length, similar to what was observed in wheat ( Donmez et al, 2001 ), whereas McGrath et al (2010) reported a positive correlation.…”