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The B Chromosome of Rye

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The Rye Genome

Part of the book series: Compendium of Plant Genomes ((CPG))

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Abstract

Dispensable B chromosomes are the most enigmatic components of many eukaryotic genomes, including thousands of plant species. Since their discovery more than a century ago, the origin, genetic content and the mechanisms by which they remain in populations have been long-standing questions. In this regard, the B chromosome of rye (Secale cereale) was the first for which these questions have been addressed using a combination of modern laboratory and bioinformatic tools. In this review, our current understanding of how the rye B chromosome originated and the cellular mechanisms of its post-meiotic drive will be summarized. Besides, the DNA and chromatin composition, the transcriptional activity of the rye B and its effects on the host genome are discussed. Potential applications of the rye B are evaluated.

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Acknowledgements

We thank our colleagues and reviewers for their helpful suggestions, insightful comments and discussions on this review. This work was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft DFG (HO1779/30-1) and China CSC Scholarship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) Gatersleben, 06466, Seeland, Germany

    A. Houben

  2. Science Center for Future Foods, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi, 214122, Jiangsu, China

    W. Ma

  3. Laboratory of Genomics and Epigenomics (LGE), Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics (IBB), University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

    A. M. Banaei-Moghaddam

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  1. A. Houben
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  2. W. Ma
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  3. A. M. Banaei-Moghaddam
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Correspondence to A. Houben .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), Seeland, Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany

    M. Timothy Rabanus-Wallace

  2. Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), Seeland, Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany

    Nils Stein

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Houben, A., Ma, W., Banaei-Moghaddam, A.M. (2021). The B Chromosome of Rye. In: Rabanus-Wallace, M.T., Stein, N. (eds) The Rye Genome. Compendium of Plant Genomes. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-83383-1_4

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