Originally published as Genetics Published Articles Ahead of Print on August 9, 2008.

Genetics, Vol. 179, 2299-2312, August 2008, Copyright © 2008
doi:10.1534/genetics.108.090084

Legume Anchor Markers Link Syntenic Regions Between Phaseolus vulgaris, Lotus japonicus, Medicago truncatula and Arachis

Birgit Kristine Hougaard^*, Lene Heegaard Madsen^*, Niels Sandal^*, Marcio de Carvalho Moretzsohn, Jakob Fredslund^,1, Leif Schauser^,2, Anna Marie Nielsen^*,3, Trine Rohde^*,4, Shusei Sato, Satoshi Tabata, David John Bertioli^** and Jens Stougaard^*,5

^* Laboratory of Gene Expression, Department of Molecular Biology, University of Aarhus, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark, Embrapa Recursos Genéticos e Biotecnologia, CEP 70.770-900, Brasília, DF, Brazil, Bioinformatics Research Center, University of Aarhus, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark, Kazusa DNA Research Institute, 1532-3 Yana, Kisarazu, Chiba 292, Japan and ^** Universidade Católica de Brasília, SGAN 916, CEP 70.790-160 Brasilia, DF, Brazil

⁵ Corresponding author: Laboratory of Gene Expression, Department of Molecular Biology, University of Aarhus, Gustav Wieds Vej 10, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
E-mail: stougaard{at}mb.au.dk

We have previously described a bioinformatics pipeline identifying comparative anchor-tagged sequence (CATS) loci, combined with design of intron-spanning primers. The derived anchor markers defining the linkage position of homologous genes are essential for evaluating genome conservation among related species and facilitate transfer of genetic and genome information between species. Here we validate this global approach in the common bean and in the AA genome complement of the allotetraploid peanut. We present the successful conversion of 50% of the bioinformatics-defined primers into legume anchor markers in bean and diploid Arachis species. One hundred and four new loci representing single-copy genes were added to the existing bean map. These new legume anchor-marker loci enabled the alignment of genetic linkage maps through corresponding genes and provided an estimate of the extent of synteny and collinearity. Extensive macrosynteny between Lotus and bean was uncovered on 8 of the 11 bean chromosomes and large blocks of macrosynteny were also found between bean and Medicago. This suggests that anchor markers can facilitate a better understanding of the genes and genetics of important traits in crops with largely uncharacterized genomes using genetic and genome information from related model plants.

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