Relationship between chromosome 9 of maize and wheat homeologous group 7 chromosomes

Comparison of the genetic map of maize chromosome 9 with maps of wheat chromosomes has revealed a high degree of colinearity between maize chromosome 9 and the group 4 and 7 chromosomes of wheat. The order of DNA markers on the short arm and a proximal region of the long arm of the genetic map of maize chromosome 9 is highly conserved with the marker order on the short arm and proximal region of the long arm of the genetic map of the wheat homeologous group 7 chromosomes. A major part of the long arm of the genetic map of maize chromosome 9 is homeologous with a short segment in the proximal region of the long arm of the genetic map of the wheat group 4 chromosomes. Evidence is also presented that maize chromosome 9 has diverged from the wheat group 7 chromosomes by both a pericentric and a paracentric inversion. The paracentric inversion is probably unique to maize among the major cereal genomes.