Abstract
Barley cDNA and genomic clones homologous to the Arabidopsis flowering time regulator GIGANTEA were isolated. Genetic mapping showed that GIGANTEA is present as a single copy gene in barley (3HS) and rice (1S), while two copies are present in maize (3S and 8S) at locations consistent with previous comparative mapping studies. Comparison of the barley peptide with rice and Arabidopsis gave 94% and 79% similarity, respectively. Northern and semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis of the barley gene (HvGI) showed the presence of a single mRNA species, with a peak of expression between 6 h and 9 h after dawn in short days (8 h light) and a peak 15 h after dawn in long days (16 h light). This behaviour is similar to that seen in Arabidopsis and rice, showing that sequence and expression pattern were well conserved. A lack of correspondence with the map positions of QTL affecting flowering time (heading date) suggests that variation at HvGI does not provide a major source of adaptive variation in photoperiod response.
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Acknowledgements
This study was supported by a grant-in-aid to the John Innes Centre by the BBSRC. V.C. was also supported by a BBSRC postgraduate studentship. S.G. was a recipient of a John Innes Foundation PhD studentship. We thank Steve Quarrie for provision of the maize mapping populations and for unpublished genetic mapping data for the ‘DTP’ × ‘B73’ population.
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Dunford, R.P., Griffiths, S., Christodoulou, V. et al. Characterisation of a barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) homologue of the Arabidopsis flowering time regulator GIGANTEA . Theor Appl Genet 110, 925–931 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-004-1912-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-004-1912-5