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Genetic and physical fine mapping of the novel brown midrib gene bm6 in maize (Zea mays L.) to a 180 kb region on chromosome 2
Theoretical and Applied Genetics
  • Yongsheng Chen, Iowa State University
  • Hongjun Liu, Iowa State University
  • Farhad Ali, Khyber Pukhtunkhwa Agricultural University
  • M. Paul Scott, United States Department of Agriculture
  • Qing Ji, Iowa State University
  • Ursula K. Frei, Iowa State University
  • Thomas Lubberstedt, Iowa State University
Document Type
Article
Publication Version
Published Version
Publication Date
10-1-2012
DOI
10.1007/s00122-012-1908-5
Abstract

Brown midrib mutants in maize are known to be associated with reduced lignin content and increased cell wall digestibility, which leads to better forage quality and higher efficiency of cellulosic biomass conversion into ethanol. Four well known brown midrib (bm) mutants, named bm14, were identified several decades ago. Additional recessive brown midrib mutants have been identified by allelism tests and designated as bm5 and bm6. In this study, we determined that bm6 increases cell wall digestibility and decreases plant height. bm6 was confirmed onto the short arm of chromosome 2 by a small mapping set with 181 plants from a F2 segregating population, derived from crossing B73 and a bm6 mutant line. Subsequently, 960 brown midrib individuals were selected from the same but larger F2 population for genetic and physical mapping. With newly developed markers in the target region, the bm6 gene was assigned to a 180 kb interval flanked by markers SSR_308337 and SSR_488638. In this region, ten gene models are predicted in the maize B73 sequence. Analysis of these ten genes as well as genes in the syntenic rice region revealed that four of them are promising candidate genes for bm6. Our study will facilitate isolation of the underlying gene of bm6 and advance our understanding of brown midrib gene functions.

Comments

This article is published as Chen, Yongsheng, Hongjun Liu, Farhad Ali, M. Paul Scott, Qing Ji, Ursula Karoline Frei, and Thomas Lübberstedt. "Genetic and physical fine mapping of the novel brown midrib gene bm6 in maize (Zea mays L.) to a 180 kb region on chromosome 2." Theoretical and Applied Genetics 125, no. 6 (2012): 1223-1235, doi: 10.1007/s00122-012-1908-5.

Rights
Works produced by employees of the U.S. Government as part of their official duties are not copyrighted within the U.S. The content of this document is not copyrighted.
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Citation Information
Yongsheng Chen, Hongjun Liu, Farhad Ali, M. Paul Scott, et al.. "Genetic and physical fine mapping of the novel brown midrib gene bm6 in maize (Zea mays L.) to a 180 kb region on chromosome 2" Theoretical and Applied Genetics Vol. 125 Iss. 6 (2012) p. 1223 - 1235
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/thomas-lubberstedt/3/