Transposon-mediated gene exploration in barley and other cereals

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Characterization of mutant alleles provides valuable insights into the genetics of normal physiological functions. Mutagenesis via T-DNA insertion, RNA interference and transposon tagging enable researchers to more readily study specific genes and their functions. Transposon -mediated insertional mutagenesis has advantages over other approaches for determining gene function especially where genetic transformation is not routine. Important genes involved in development were identified using several gene-tagging strategies involving Ac/Ds-mediated insertional mutagenesis. During the transposon movement, the transposon inserts into a new chromosomal location and may cause interruption in gene’s normal function. Some epialleles undergo paramutation which is an interaction between alleles and leads to a heritable expression change of one allele. Transposons have also served as building blocks for epigenetic phenomena, both at the level of single genes and across larger chromosomal regions. Studies are being conducted for the understanding these silencing mechanisms.