Evaluation of sensitivity of flow cytometry in detecting aneuploidy in wheat using disomic and ditelosomic wheat-rye addition lines.

Flow cytometric DNA analysis was used to study changes in nuclear DNA content induced by the addition of complete or telosomic rye chromosomes into the genome of common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The DNA content of each addition line was determined by comparison with an internal reference value and was expressed as a difference with respect to the original wheat parental line. A 1.84% difference in the DNA content could be detected. Nuclei were flow sorted and the presence of rye chromatin in the nuclei with the higher DNA content was demonstrated by Southern hybridization. Flow cytometry was proven to be sensitive enough to detect the small DNA content deviations that are expected to occur in aneuploid plants of wheat.