Molecular and cytogenetic analysis of repetitive DNA in pea (pisum sativum L.)

A set of pea DNA sequences representing the most abundant genomic repeats was obtained by combining several approaches. Dispersed repeats were isolated by screening a short-insert genomic library using genomic DNA as a probe. Thirty-two clones ranging from 149 to 2961 bp in size and from 1,000 to 39,000/lC in their copy number were sequenced and further characterized. Fourteen clones were identified as retrotransposon-like sequences, based on their homologies to known elements. Fluorescence in situ hybridization using clones of reverse transcriptase and integrase coding sequences as probes revealed that corresponding retroelements were scattered along all pea chromosomes. Two novel families of tandem repeats, named PisTR-A and PisTR-B, were isolated by screening a genomic DNA library with Cot-1 DNA and by employing genomic self-priming PCR, respectively. PisTR-A repeats are 211-212 bp long, their abundance is 2 x 10(4) copies/lC, and they are partially clustered in a secondary constriction of one chromosome pair with the rest of their copies dispersed on all chromosomes. PisTR-B sequences are of similar abundance (10(4) copies/lC) but differ from the "A" family in their monomer length (50 bp), high A/T content, and chromosomal localization in a limited number of discrete bands. These bands are located mainly in (sub)telomeric and pericentromeric regions. and their patterns, together with chromosome morphology, allow discrimination of all chromosome types within the pea karyotype. Whereas both tandem repeat families are mostly specific to the genus Pisum, many of the dispersed repeats were detected in other legume species, mainly those in the genus Vicia.