Molecular switches and genetic consequences of grain retention in cereals

成熟后的粮食保持率是作物驯化的关键，为耕作奠定了基础。小麦和大麦已经进化出一种确保谷物滞留的新机制，尽管基因已知，但作用机制尚不清楚。在野生近缘动物中，谷物的传播涉及到少数细胞壁上高度定向的变化。这个项目将探索这两个已识别的基因是如何控制这一过程的，并阐明它们的作用模式。确保谷物保留的基因对于驯化来说是如此关键，以至于它们周围的区域已经变得基因固定。该项目将评估固定对遗传多样性的影响，并开发将新的变异引入育种计划的选择。

Grain retention at maturity was key for crop domestication and laid the basis for farming. Wheat and barley have evolved a novel mechanism for ensuring grain retention and, although the genes are known, the mechanisms for action are not. Grain dispersal in the wild relatives involves highly targeted changes in the walls of a small number of cells. This project will explore how the two identified genes control this process and clarify their mode of action. The genes ensuring grain retention have been so critical for domestication that the region surrounding them has become genetically fixed. The project will assess the implication of fixation on genetic diversity and develop options to bring novel variation into breeding programs.