Genome-wide linkage analysis of Arabidopsis genes required for leaf development

In most crop species, primary productivity depends mainly on the leaf. However, the genes that contribute to the making of plant leaves remain largely unknown. With a view to identifying the genes involved in leaf development in Arabidopsis thaliana, we previously isolated EMS-induced mutants with abnormally shaped leaves and demonstrated that they fall into 94 complementation groups. We present here the map positions of 76 of these genes, which have been obtained using a high-throughput genetic mapping method, based on the simultaneous coamplification by PCR of 21 polymorphic microsatellites and the semiautomated fluorescent detection of the products. The map positions and F2 mapping populations obtained in this work will be instrumental in the positional cloning of these genes, which are essential for leaf development.