IDENTIFICATION OF GENES INVOLVED IN RICE SEED GERMINATION AT LOW TEMPERATURES

Abstract

 Rice is a model for many genomic studies among crop species. The adaptation to different crop
environments is partly the result of traditional breeding combined with molecular assisted selection.
Comparative studies between contrasting genotypes can be performed efficiently by the cDNA-AFLP
technique, allowing the identification of genes involved in the expression of the target trait. The objective of this
study was to identify differentially expressed genes in cultivars contrasting for the character germination at low
temperatures. The genotypes used were BRS-Firmeza (Tolerant) and SCSBRS Tio-Taka (Sensitive). Seeds of
the two cultivars were sown at 13 and 25°C, respectively. Total RNA was extracted from embryos and cDNAs
were synthesized. The cDNAs were analyzed by AFLP (Amplified Fragments Length Polymorphisms) to
identify differentially expressed sequences between BRS-Firmeza and SCSBRS Tio-Taka varieties. Four
polymorphic fragments were present at 13°C IN BRS-Firmeza molecular profile and absent in SCSBRS TioTaka. It is concluded that the technique of AFLP on cDNA as template is efficient to produce and identify
fragments of differentially expressed genes in rice during germination under low temperatures.