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Wheat Information Service
Number 86: 31-38 (1998)
Research article

Cytoplasmic diversity in Triticum and Aegilops evaluated by the respiratory electron flows in seedlings of alloplasmic hybrids of common wheat

K. Kasai1, R. Solis1, N. Asakura1, N. Mori2 and C. Nakamural,2,*

1Graduate School of Science & Technology, Kobe University
2Laboratory of Plant Genetics, Department of Biological and Environmental Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Kobe University, 1 Rokkodai-cho, Nada-ku, Kobe 657, Japan


Summary

Fifteen cytoplasms of Triticum and Aegilops species were characterized by the respiratory electron flows through the cytochrome and alternative paths under normal and NaCI salinity conditions using 3-day-old seedlings of common wheat (T. aestivum L.) cv. Chinese Spring (CS) and the alloplasmic hybrids of CS. Under the normal condition, five plasm types of C, SI, Sb, Mt and Mt2 showed respiratory path activities equivalent to those of B plasm type of the euplasmic CS. NaCI salinity caused significant increases in the total and cytochrome path activities but no detectable changes in the alternative path activity in CS. Plasm types of SI and Mt showed a similar salinity response to the euplasmic CS. These results and a cluster analysis suggested that SI plasm type of Ae. sharonensis is most closely related to B plasm type of CS.

Keywords: cytoplasmic diversity, respiratory electron flow, NaCI salinity, Triticum and Aegilops, B plasm donor


Introduction

In Triticum and Aegilops, the evolution of plasmons has been studied extensively using cytoplasm substitution lines or alloplasmic hybrids in which given nuclei of common wheat and/or tetraploid wheat are combined with alien cytoplasms from various species in these genera (for reviews see Tsunewaki 1980, 1989, 1993, 1995; Ohtsuka 1991; Maan 1995). Plasmon diversity in Triticum and Aegilops has been studied primarily based on the nucleus-cytoplasm interactions affecting fertility and other physiological and agronomical characteristics in the alloplasmic hybrids (Kihara 1954; Tsunewaki 1980, 1993, 1995; Ohtsuka 1991; Maan 1995; Tsunewaki et al. 1996). The organellar DNA polymorphisms in the alloplasmic hybrids also have provided important information on the cytoplasmic diversity and maternal lineage in Triticum and Aegilops (Ogihara and Tsunewaki 1982, 1988; Tsunewaki and Ogihara 1983; Terachi and Tsunewaki 1986, 1992; Terachi et al. 1990; Miyashita et al. 1994; Ohsako et al. 1996; Wang et al. 1997).

However, information on the physiological contribution of the alien cytoplasms in the two major organellar functions, i. e. photosynthesis in chloroplasts and respiration in mitochondria, has been limited in the alloplasmic hybrids. A considerable amount of information is available on the photosynthetic components and activities in Triticum and Aegilops species (Chen et al. 1975; Austin et al. 1984; Evans 1986; Evans and Austin 1986; Terachi et al. 1987; Nakamura et al. 1991; Kasai et al. 1997), but a very few studies have been reported on the effects of alien cytoplasms on the respiratory characteristics in the alloplasmic hybrids (Iwanaga et al. 1978; Nakamura et al. 1991).

In this paper we report the cytoplasmic diversity evaluated by the respiratory electron flows in seedlings of common wheat cv. CS and 14 alloplasmic hybrids of CS under normal and NaCI salinity conditions. Based on the data and the estimated taxonomic relationship, it was suggested that SI plasm type of Ae. sharonensis is most closely related to B plasm type of CS.


*Corresponding author: nakamura@kobe-u.ac.jp

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