Genetics of Mobile Elements in Maize

玉米移动元件的遗传学

• 批准号: 8818646
• 负责人: Peter Peterson
• 金额: $ 10.4万
• 依托单位: Iowa State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1989
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1989-02-01 至 1992-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=8818646&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Genetics; Mobile; Elements; Maize

Studies of mobile elements in maize have made considerable progress in the past few years with the isolation and cloning of several elements and subsequent cloning of a number of genes. This progress is a result of the combined efforts of molecular biologists working closely with geneticists. Early results have elucidated the general structure of the elements, their component parts, and their genetic effects. This work has generated the development of models to explain the role of these elements inducing changes in the genome as well as in individual genes. This project is designed to (a) analyze in En system by isolating mutants controlling the several specific functions of the En element, (b) pursue the genetic analysis of mutable alleles at the C1, C2, A1, A2, Bz, P, and Wx loci in order to isolate mutant derivatives for additional molecular studies, (c) further the studies of the Cy and Uq systems, (d) analyze corn breeding populations for the distribution of mobile elements, and (e) trap master elements at cloned loci for their use in tagging genes. One of the most important developments in modern genetics has been the discovery that chromosomes do not have fixed, static structures, but rather that genes can move from place to place on the chromosomes. The mobility of genes was first demonstrated in corn by Barbara McClintock in the 1950s, and independently by Dr. Peterson not long afterwards. Beginning in the 1970s a large number of investigators began to discover that mobile genes are very widespread in nature; we now know that they are found in almost all species of living organism. Beginning in the late 1970s a number of investigators began to study at the molecular level the mechanisms by which genes move. Dr. Peterson has had a very productive collaboration with Dr. Heinz Saedler (Cologne, FRG) which has resulted in many important contributions to our understanding of these mechanisms. This award will allow Dr. Peterson to continue this collaboration. The mobility of genes has immensely important consequences for the lives of individual organisms, as well as for the evolutionary history of populations. Beyond their intrinsic scientific importance, mobile genetic elements have formed the backbone of many methods of critical importance for biotechnology.

过去几年，玉米移动元件的研究取得了相当大的进展，分离和克隆了一些元件，随后克隆了一些基因。 这一进展是分子生物学家与遗传学家密切合作的共同努力的结果。 早期结果已经阐明了元素的一般结构、它们的组成部分以及它们的遗传效应。 这项工作开发了模型来解释这些元素在基因组以及个体基因中诱导变化的作用。 该项目旨在 (a) 通过分离控制 En 元件的几个特定功能的突变体来分析 En 系统，(b) 对 C1、C2、A1、A2、Bz、P 和 Wx 位点的可变等位基因进行遗传分析，以便分离突变体衍生物以进行其他分子研究，(c) 进一步研究 Cy 和 Uq 系统，(d) 分析玉米育种群体中移动元件的分布， (e) 在克隆基因座捕获主元件以用于标记基因。 现代遗传学最重要的发展之一是发现染色体没有固定的静态结构，而是基因可以在染色体上从一个地方移动到另一个地方。 20 世纪 50 年代，芭芭拉·麦克林托克 (Barbara McClintock) 首次在玉米中证明了基因的流动性，不久之后，彼得森 (Peterson) 博士也独立证明了这一点。 从 20 世纪 70 年代开始，大量研究人员开始发现可移动基因在自然界中非常普遍。我们现在知道它们几乎存在于所有物种的生物体中。 从 20 世纪 70 年代末开始，许多研究人员开始在分子水平上研究基因移动的机制。 Peterson 博士与 Heinz Saedler 博士（德国科隆）进行了非常富有成效的合作，为我们理解这些机制做出了许多重要贡献。 该奖项将使彼得森博士能够继续这种合作。 基因的流动性对个体生物体的生命以及种群的进化历史有着极其重要的影响。 除了其内在的科学重要性之外，移动遗传元件还形成了许多对生物技术至关重要的方法的支柱。