Absence of the J genome in Leymus species (Poaceae: Triticeae): evidence from DNA hybridization and meiotic pairing.

To test the presence of a J genome in the type species of Leymus, L. arenarius, its total genomic DNA and that of tetraploids L. mollis, L. salinus ssp. salmonis, L. ambiguus, L. chinensis, L. secalinus, L. alaicus ssp. karataviensis, and L. innovatus were probed with the 277-bp insert of pLeUCD2, which can hybridize with the J, S, and P but not with the N, R, V, Q, I, T, and ABD genomes. The DNA probe hybridized with PalI- or TaqI-digested total DNAs from Thinopyrum elongatum (JeJe diploid) and T. elongatum x Psathyrostachys juncea (JeN hybrid), but not with those from L. arenarius (NNNNXXXX octoploid) and all tetraploid Leymus species (NNXX). Attempts to cross diploid Thinopyrum and tetraploid Leymus species yielded only one triploid hybrid, T. elongatum x L. salinus ssp. salmonis. Meiotic chromosome associations at metaphase I of pollen mother cells in the triploid hybrid averaged 19.69 univalents, 0.64 bivalents, and 0.01 trivalents per cell. Chromosome pairings in the tetraploid hybrids of L. mollis x L. salinus ssp. salmonis, and the reciprocal cross, indicate that L. mollis and L. salinus ssp. salmonis shae the same genomic constitution. Both the DNA probe and genome analysis results confirm the absence of the J genome in the seven additional Leymus species tested. Meiotic data indicated that tetraploid Leymus species could not have the genome formula N1N1N2N2; thus their genome formulas should remain as NNXX until the source of X is identified.