Integrated Genetic and Cytogenetic Map of the Cucumber Genome

• Published in: PloS one 2009-06, Vol.4 (6), p.e5795-e5795
• Main Authors: Ren, Yi, Zhang, Zhonghua, Liu, Jinhua, Staub, Jack E, Han, Yonghua, Cheng, Zhouchao, Li, Xuefeng, Lu, Jingyuan, Miao, Han, Kang, Houxiang, Xie, Bingyan, Gu, Xingfang, Wang, Xiaowu, Du, Yongchen, Jin, Weiwei, Huang, Sanwen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agriculture; Artificial chromosomes; Breakpoints; Breeding; chromosome mapping; Chromosome Mapping - methods; Chromosome rearrangements; Chromosomes; Citrullus - genetics; Citrullus lanatus; Cloning; Cloning, Molecular; Clustering; Construction; Corn; Crops; cucumbers; Cucumis; Cucumis sativus; Cucumis sativus - genetics; Cucurbita - genetics; Cucurbitaceae; Cucurbitaceae - genetics; Cytogenetic Analysis; Cytogenetics; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; DNA sequencing; DNA, Plant; Fluorescence; Fluorescence in situ hybridization; Gene mapping; Gene sequencing; Genes; Genes, Plant; Genetic Linkage; Genetic Markers - genetics; Genetic polymorphisms; Genetics; Genetics and Genomics; Genetics and Genomics/Comparative Genomics; Genetics and Genomics/Genomics; Genetics and Genomics/Plant Genomes and Evolution; Genome, Plant; Genomes; Genomics; Germplasm; Horticulture; Hybridization; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; Inbreeding; Laboratories; linkage groups; Markers; microsatellite repeats; Nucleotide sequence; physical chromosome mapping; Plant Biology/Plant Genetics and Gene Expression; Plant breeding; Polymorphism; Polymorphism, Genetic; Recombination; Rice; Species Specificity; Vegetables
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0005795

The Cucurbitaceae includes important crops such as cucumber, melon, watermelon, squash and pumpkin. However, few genetic and genomic resources are available for plant improvement. Some cucurbit species such as cucumber have a narrow genetic base, which impedes construction of saturated molecular linkage maps. We report herein the development of highly polymorphic simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers originated from whole genome shotgun sequencing and the subsequent construction of a high-density genetic linkage map. This map includes 995 SSRs in seven linkage groups which spans in total 573 cM, and defines ~680 recombination breakpoints with an average of 0.58 cM between two markers. These linkage groups were then assigned to seven corresponding chromosomes using fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). FISH assays also revealed a chromosomal inversion between Cucumis subspecies [C. sativus var. sativus L. and var. hardwickii (R.) Alef], which resulted in marker clustering on the genetic map. A quarter of the mapped markers showed relatively high polymorphism levels among 11 inbred lines of cucumber. Among the 995 markers, 49%, 26% and 22% were conserved in melon, watermelon and pumpkin, respectively. This map will facilitate whole genome sequencing, positional cloning, and molecular breeding in cucumber, and enable the integration of knowledge of gene and trait in cucurbits.