The Korean Journal of Crop Science ISSN:0252-9777(Print) 2287-8432(Online) 한국작물학회지

The objective of this study was to identify the effect of zebularine, a DNA methylation inhibitor, on the chromosomal association between homoeologous chromosomes in the wheat genetic background. Zebularine at a final concentration of 10 µM was used to treat the spikes of the double monosomic wheat addition line (DMA) with one Leymus mollis chromosome and one Leymus racemosus chromosome, both of which were in a homoeologous relationship. In late prophase, zebularine led to chromosome breakage in the Leymus homoeologous chromosomes. Chromosome breakage caused an increase in the frequency of chromosomal associations between the Leymus homoeologous chromosomes. Ordinary DMA showed 65 cells (35.3%) with chromosomal associations and 119 cells (64.7%) with no association, whereas treated DMA showed 102 cells (60.0%) with chromosomal associations and 67 cells (39.4%) with no association. In diakinesis, the Leymus bivalent showed a chromosomal association in the whole euchromatic region. In metaphase, the Leymus bivalent showed association in the whole chromosomal region, unlike other Leymus bivalents with partial chromosomal association. Chromosomal association by chromosome breakage occurred not only between Leymus chromosomes but also between Leymus and wheat chromosomes. The frequency of other chromosomal association (such as fusion and insert) was increased. Chromosome breakage by zebularine treatment is a useful method at the chromosome level as the spores with others are hereditary stable, although the homologous index (h) was not significantly different between ordinary DMA and treated DMA. It is necessary to study how to control zebularine treatment with a more stable concentration for chromosome breakage during meiosis.