Molecular characteristics of rye recessive dwarf gene

Rye (Secale cereale L.) is grown in countries with a moderate climate, mainly in Central and Eastern Europe. It is characterized by numerous positive features, such as severe frost resistance, high tolerance to soil quality and resistance to environmental stresses. Rye is also a source of beneficial qualities for other cereals. Many current commercial wheat cultivars contain the genetic material of rye, which positively affects the adaptive properties of plants, yield, disease resistance and drought tolerance. Plant height is an important agricultural feature associated, inter alia, with the resistance to lodging, an important goal of crop breeding. Many genes control plant height and are subject to environmental influences. It is known that several major genes significantly reduce plant height called dwarf genes. In many crops, reduced height is a key feature that increases yields. Therefore, dwarfed mutants are widely used in breeding to reduce yield loss due to strong lodging. The semi-dwarf genes have been thoroughly explored in rice and wheat, which contributed to the success of the Green Revolution. However, rye is not as well-known as related cereals in this respect. The proposed research aims to broaden the knowledge about one of the rye dwarf genes located on the 5R chromosome. For this purpose, a unique pair of near-isogenic lines (NIL) are almost genetically identical but differ in one gene controlling height and simultaneously the length of leaves, ears and grains. To identify the mutated gene responsible for dwarfism, RNA long-read sequencing of the single native molecule techniques (Fourth generation platform) will be used. The obtained sequences will be subjected to comparative analysis and the selection of differentiating transcripts/genes (DEG). Based on information on DEG, new molecular markers will be detected, which could be used in breeding rye and other cereals in the future. Significant differences in gene expression levels between two NILs will allow to point gene candidates for dwarf stature. Characterization of mapping populations will be based on evaluating dwarfism (tall/dwarf) and various traits. The correlation between DEGs and all traits will be estimated.