Molecular, genetic and phenotypic analysis of genes controlling lateral spikelet fertility in barley

我们对禾本科花序发育遗传学的了解非常有限。大多数谷类作物几乎完全缺乏调控颖花形成、败育或育性等关键形态和发育性状的基因的功能知识。因此，在本项目范围内，我们将重点研究大麦侧小穗育性的分子解析。为此，我们将研究三个突变系——vrs2、vrs3和vrs4——与已知的六列基因型（vrs1）相比，它们表现出几乎完全的侧小穗育性（六列表型）。在这个项目中，我们将(i)对六列突变体进行详细的表型分析和分子定位，（ii）鉴定和分离控制侧穗育性的新型草和/或物种特异性基因/蛋白质，以及（iii）研究穗发育过程中基因的表达模式、组织特异性和功能。通过进一步了解大麦和其他禾本科植物穗形态的发育遗传过程，参与侧穗育性基因的分子分离将对未来谷物产量的增加做出重要贡献。

Our understanding of the developmental genetics of grass inflorescences is very limited. Functional knowledge of genes which regulate key morphological and developmental traits such as spikelet initiation, abortion, or fertility is almost completely lacking in most cereal crops. Hence, within the scope of this project we will focus on the molecular elucidation of lateral spikelet fertility in barley. To this end, we will investigate three mutant lines—vrs2, vrs3, and, vrs4—which display almost complete lateral spikelet fertility (six-rowed phenotype) compared with known six-rowed genotypes (vrs1). During the proposed project we will (i) perform detailed phenotypic analyses and molecular mapping of six-rowed mutants, (ii) identify and isolate novel grass- and/or species-specific genes/proteins which control lateral spikelet fertility, and (iii) study the expression pattern, tissue-specificity and function of gene(s) during spike development. The molecular isolation of genes involved in lateral spikelet fertility will make an important contribution to future increases in cereal grain yields by providing further insights into the developmental genetic processes underlying spike morphology in barley and other grasses.