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A universal chromosome identification system for maize and wild Zea species

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Abstract

Maize was one of the first eukaryotic species in which individual chromosomes can be identified cytologically, which made maize one of the oldest models for genetics and cytogenetics research. Nevertheless, consistent identification of all 10 chromosomes from different maize lines as well as from wild Zea species remains a challenge. We developed a new technique for maize chromosome identification based on fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). We developed two oligonucleotide-based probes that hybridize to 24 chromosomal regions. Individual maize chromosomes show distinct FISH signal patterns, which allow universal identification of all chromosomes from different Zea species. We developed karyotypes from three Zea mays subspecies and two additional wild Zea species based on individually identified chromosomes. A paracentric inversion was discovered on the long arm of chromosome 4 in Z. nicaraguensis and Z. luxurians based on modifications of the FISH signal patterns. Chromosomes from these two species also showed distinct distribution patterns of terminal knobs compared with other Zea species. These results support that Z. nicaraguensis and Z. luxurians are closely related species.

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Abbreviations

BAC:

Bacterial artificial chromosome

DAPI:

4,6-Diamidino-2-phenylindole

FISH:

Fluorescence in situ hybridization

Mb:

Megabase

MY:

Million years

Oligo:

Oligonucleotide

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Funding

This research is supported by NSF grant IOS-1444514 and MSU startup funds to J.J.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA

    Guilherme T. Braz, Lívia do Vale Martins & Jiming Jiang

  2. Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genomics and Molecular Breeding/Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Genomics of Ministry of Education, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China

    Tao Zhang

  3. Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA

    Patrice S. Albert & James A. Birchler

  4. Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA

    Jiming Jiang

  5. AgBioResearch, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA

    Jiming Jiang

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  1. Guilherme T. Braz
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  2. Lívia do Vale Martins
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  3. Tao Zhang
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  4. Patrice S. Albert
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Correspondence to Jiming Jiang.

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Braz, G.T., do Vale Martins, L., Zhang, T. et al. A universal chromosome identification system for maize and wild Zea species. Chromosome Res 28, 183–194 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10577-020-09630-5

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